The Greatest Treasure
by ScarletteSorceress
Summary: Life is a troublesome thing. It can send you miracles like baby brothers and bringing brothers back to life. It can also send you disasters like having Gol. D Roger as a father. Nothing however could have prepared Ace for this. Let's hope the Moby Dick survives the ASL brothers. AU. ASL brothers on the Moby Dick.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first One Piece fanfiction so be nice okay! This does take place in an alternative Universe where Sabo is still with his brothers and they decided to take Luffy with them when they were seventeen. I will explain this later in the story so I won't give too much away now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. If I did Ace would never have died, Luffy would never have to be alone, and Sabo would be sailing with his brothers forever!**

When Ace woke up it was to see the wooden panels of a ship, hear the salty splash of waves against the hull, and feel a throbbing pain in all his limbs. He groaned quietly to himself. Memories of the fight with Whitebeard came flooding into his brain as he tried to acclimatise to his new surroundings.

How he had lost, how he had created a wall of fire so his brothers and crew mates could escape...how Whitebeard offered him a place on the Moby Dick.

Ace sat up sharply, only to wince in pain as his muscles protested his movement. Another look around the room confirmed that he had no idea where he was, which meant that logically the Whitebeard pirates had taken him aboard and he must be on the Moby Dick.

Sabo would be proud, after 12 years some of his logic had sunk into Ace's head!

Ace's head sunk into his hand as he frowned; trying to continue on the Sabo logic route and not go down the Luffy logic route (which made more sense to him but Sabo explained to him that the three brothers were probably the only ones capable of understanding Luffy logic). If the crew of the Moby Dick really did bring him aboard what motive could they have?

They already knew that he wanted to kill their 'father'. Why would they help their enemy?

Almost as if they had heard his thoughts two of Whitebeard's men entered the room.

One of them had red hair, done up in a weird fashion and a broad grin on his face. The other looked eerily like a pineapple which caused Ace's stomach to rumble loudly in hunger.

This seemed to amuse the red head as he smiled down at Ace from where he was standing.

"Sounds like someone's hungry~"

Ace narrowed his eyes at the sing-song tone of the man, not liking the way he was treating him even if he was bang on in that assessment.

The pineapple man snorted slightly, sitting down on the end of the bed Ace was in.

"Ignore Thatch, yoi. Most of us do"

Ignoring the, now named, red head Ace narrowed his eyes at the blonde man, wondering why he was being so relaxed around an enemy. The man smirked lightly, looking at his soon-to-be-brother out of the corner of his eye.

"You've been out for a couple of days, yoi. Your injuries are healing well but two of your crew are causing a lot of trouble, yoi."

Ace felt all the colour drain from his face. There were only two people he knew that would follow the Moby Dick, disobeying his orders, and try and fight to get him back.

With renewed effort the fire man started struggling to get out of bed, causing the other two men to look at him with varying degrees of concern. Thatch hurried over and put a restraining hand on Ace's shoulder.

"Didn't you hear Marco? Your injuries aren't healed enough for you to be up yet"

He quickly recoiled however when the raven haired boy tried to bite his hand.

"I don't care" he snapped, his fire flaring up inside him causing the temperature in the room to increased dramatically. "I want to see my brothers. If you've hurt them I swear to all the gods I can think of that I will burn this ship to the ground!"

Understanding flickered across the blon-Marco's face. He understood the protectiveness that came with having family and from a quick glance at Thatch he could see the younger man felt the same way.

With a sigh and a smile the two men went on either side of Ace to help him up.

"They're not hurt, yoi. We just tied them to the mast"

"I think our eardrums suffered more than they did. How you managed to sleep through it beats me"

With a sigh of relief Ace let himself be helped to the door. He didn't trust these men, not one bit, but he needed their help for now. Getting back to his brothers was his first priority. His second was yelling at them for coming after him.

It was a bright day when they emerged onto the deck, causing Ace to squint at the harshness of the light after the cool dark of the cabin he had been in. His eyes barely had time to adjust to the change when his ears were assaulted from a loud voice that he would recognise anywhere.

"ACE!"

"Luffy!" He yelled back with a smile, catching sight of his baby brother's eye-wateringly red t-shirt and his precious straw hat.

Luffy was beaming at his brother, not seeming to be bothered by the steel cables that restrained him to the mast. He just kept smiling, glad that his brother seemed to be alright.

"Ace, Ace, guess what?"

"What?" Ace replied with a tired smile, hobbling over to his youngest brother, checking him over to make sure he was really unscathed by the crew of the Moby Dick.

"The giant Ossan you tried to kill has this really awesome doggy that's really funny! And there's a shark man on this ship, and a guy made out of shiny stuff, and a guy that makes really good food! They wouldn't let me eat the walking pineapple though" he finished his rambling with a pout as said walking pineapple had to be restrained from hitting him by a hysterical Thatch.

Ace chuckled slightly, grinning at his brother's blunt words. Then another pressing matter entered into his mind.

"Luffy, where's Sabo?"

"Oh so you finally remember me, thanks Ace" came a sulky reply from the other side of the mast. Ace carefully manoeuvred himself to see both his brothers at the same time.

His blonde brother seemed to be unscathed as well. His hat covered his eyes, casting them in shadows. While Luffy had grinned at the sight of him, Sabo gave him a sullen glare.

"...care to explain what was going through the empty space you call a brain when you thought a wall of fire was a good plan?..."

Ace barely hid a wince. That may not have been his smartest idea...but it would have worked if they had just stayed away!

"Maybe I was trying to make sure you guys could get away! It would have worked if you had just done what I told you to" he snapped back indignantly.

That apparently wasn't what Sabo had wanted to hear. His dark blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

"How many times do we have to tell you? We're sticking with you! You're our big brother Ace!"

This time Ace really did flinch. Sabo acknowledging him as the eldest always preludes the worst guilt trips. He was already feeling guilty enough thanks.

"If you're taken we will follow and fight to get you back. We're never letting anyone be taken somewhere against their will. If you're going to blow up every time Luffy gets a scratch or I get a beat down then we're allowed to do the same! Don't be a hypocrite!...don't be like them..."

The last part was in a whisper for only his brothers to hear as Sabo finally lowered his gaze from Ace. That whisper alone was enough to make Ace wish he was still being beaten up by Whitebeard, never mind how the rest of his speech made him feel.

Carefully, hesitantly, he made his way to his blonde brother and rapped the side of his head with his knuckles. This was his own way of apologising and when Sabo smiled back up at him, he knew he was forgiven. Not off the hook, but forgiven.

The moment was ultimately ruined when the wonderful black haired brat they called their baby brother started whining. Loudly.

"Aaaace! I want meeeat!"

The other two started to laugh at Liffy before they both seemed to realise how hunger they were too. Almost at once three large, loud growls sounded from their stomachs. Luffy and Sabo hung their heads in despair while Ace collapsed from where he was previously standing, sending the crew into a panic.

Thatch smiled down at them, crouching down to prod at Ace's side. A low groan was the response he got for this oh-so-caring approach, followed by a low moan of "...Huuungry..."

With a chuckle the red haired man stood up and headed to the kitchen, shouting to the rest that he was going to get their guests something to eat. That calmed the rest of the crew down somewhat and two of the men started to untie Luffy and Sabo from the mast. Now they knew where their brother was they might be less inclined to try and kill everyone.

As soon as they were released the two boys slid down the mast to lie prone on the deck with the other brother, all of them too hungry to move.

Joza, Vista, and Marco all tried to get the three brothers to move or at least sit up. All three of them failed. All that was accomplished was all three of them getting annoyed looks from Ace, Sabo, and Luffy.

It was only when Thatch came back up on deck with a large platter of different food did they move at all. As a unit they looked up, stars in their eyes and drool coming out their mouths, and pounced on the food. There were no manners as the brothers ripped into their food like starving wolves, occasionally fighting each other over a particular piece of meat.

This wasn't too shocking to the crew of the Moby Dick as they were no strangers to bad table manners. What impressed them was the speed they were eating.

'...do they even breathe?...' Wondered most of the crew that was able to continue watching.

'No' was the resounding answer as they watched Sabo turn an alarming shade of blue and started hacking his lungs out.

Without looking up from their own meals Ace and Luffy both whacked him on the back hard enough to dislodge the fish skeleton that had caught in his throat.

While their brother recovered from his coughing fit they had started another fight over a leg of meat which was promptly stolen by Sabo when they weren't looking.

Marco shook his head at the display the three were putting on and at all his siblings 'inconspicuous' attempts at betting on the outcome. The blonde commander looked up at their father, a small smirk gracing his face when he noticed the gentle smile and amusement lighting up the old man's face.

His new brothers were going to fight in great, whether they wanted to or not.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I'm surprised at how much people seemed to like the first chapter even though it was so short. Thanks a lot! Especially to all the lovely reviewers~ Just as a warning: I will respond to the reviews at the end of the chapter so if you don't want to read them you don't have to~**

**Thanks for reading so far!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and no characters were harmed (much) in the making of this chapter.**

The crew of the Moby collectively let out a large sigh for the twentieth time that week. You would think two weeks of non-stop failings would discourage the little fire brat. But no, for the third time that day the crew watched as their soon-to-be brother was sent flying into the ocean from another attempt on their father's life. It was only Wednesday!

They were pretty sure at least one of the brat's brothers was getting sick of it too, or at least jumping into the ocean after him. Just as they had finished watching the blur that was the little fire brat another blur, blonde this time, dashed from where he was previously snoozing to jump over the side after his moronic older brother.

With a tired sigh Marco decided it would be a good idea to lower a rope ladder down to the brothers, who were bobbing by the hull. He didn't want them to drown after all, no matter how much of a headache would be saved if they did. He could already hear the blonde brother swearing his head off. Where had they gotten such a creative vocabulary from? They were only seventeen! Heck, Marco didn't even know what half those curses meant!

Sabo tossed him a semi-thankful nod as he hauled his spluttering older brother onto the deck and collapsed next to him. He glared at Ace, unsympathetic to the fact his brother was now chocking on air.

"Ace, I like being clean as much as the next person. But when I want a bath, I take a bath normally. Stop falling in the fucking ocean!"

He glared at his chocking brother before tucking his soaking hair behind his ear with an exasperated sigh, glaring at the strands that refused to stay behind his ear.

"Why did I grow my hair long?...it's impossible...got to cut it..."

As Ace finally figured out how to breathe again, Sabo got up and wondered back to where he was lounging on the deck talking to the fishman Namur, muttering about chopping his hair off as soon as possible.

Namur smirked at his younger companion, handing back the top hat that had been thrown to him in Sabo's haste to rescue his assassin-wannabe brother. Sabo jammed the hat back on his head and proceeded to watch as Luffy poked Ace back into the world of the living, chuckling when that ended with Ace leaping up and running after Luffy yelling death threats while his little brother giggled and ran for his life.

"They seem like a handful" Namur commented, watching the two D brothers tearing through the crew in their little chase. They were dodging around the crew like they had been doing it their whole lives, ducking and weaving through them like shadows in a forest. Poor Jozu was nearly knocked over when Luffy unexpectedly used him as a springboard away from his brother, making him join in the little game of 'Capture-and-Kill'

"They are" said Sabo, watching their shenanigans with a fond smile. "But they're my brothers, and I wouldn't change 'em for the world, ya know?"

Namur gazed around the deck, taking in all his siblings and nodded, his own smile stretching across his face. Looks like Haruta had joined in the fun. Namur carefully hid a winch as she pulled out her sword, obviously not wanting to destroy their youngest soon-to-be-brother but more for the thrill of the chase, laughing her head off as she did.

"Yeah, I know."

They sat there in relative peace for a few minutes, enjoying the sound of screaming and laughing siblings, before a large rumble sounded from Sabo's stomach making the blonde scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. Namur chuckled slightly before hoisting the still soaked young man to his feet and pushing him towards the general direction of the galley, earning an embarrassed laugh and a wave from the blonde as he stumbled towards the galley.

He was glad the blonde was starting to open up slightly. They had all learned the hard way that asking questions to the brothers usually was met with stony silence and untrusting dark eyes from the elder brothers, and a blank look with wide eyes and a tilted head from the youngest. Sabo and Ace seemed very unwilling to trust them with anything, let alone their secrets. Luffy on the other hand had taken to everyone he had met like a bee to honey. Some had tried to resist, most notably Marco and Jozu, but within the space of two weeks he had somehow charmed all of the commanders so that they didn't get nearly as mad at him when he did something idiotic. Of course they all moaned and groaned when it was their turn to 'babysit' the brat but at the same time they left their duty with a new appreciation for their youngest.

And the three brothers didn't even realise how well they fit in with the rest of the Moby Dick!

As soon as the crew on deck noticed where Sabo was moving towards they were a flurry of action. Those who had joined Ace in hunting Luffy stopped dead in their tracks and hurried to move out the way. The ones who were conscious of their body parts made a clear way for him. It was a fast learned fact that nothing separated the three youngest from two things; their brothers and their food. Blenheim was still finding bruises from the last time the brothers ran him over.

Within the short space of a minute the two raven haired brothers gave up on their game of catch-and-kill to rush and join their blonde brother in their dash to the galley, and more importantly to their lunch. This was slowly becoming a normal sight, as was the sheer amount of food the boys could pack away; although some of the crew still refused to watch in case they lost their appetites.

"So, how are our favourite set of brothers doing?" chuckled Thatch as he came over to their table, expertly ignoring the food mountains disappearing and dodging the rubber hands that were stealing food from all over the room.

Only Sabo deigned to look up at him, face bulging with food as he flashed a quick thumbs up before returning to his mountain, stabbing Luffy's hand and punching Ace's arm as they joined forces to steal his plate of seaking.

Thatch made a noise of acknowledgement before passing some money to Haruta to put on Ace for the current bet of 'which brother is going to choke first'. It wasn't that they didn't care about their soon-to-be-brothers (they did!). It's just that, when someone inhales a small mountain of food on a regular basis and at a speed that would make a cheetah blush, you tend to de-sensitise yourself to the choking hazard. Besides, it was an opportunity for betting! So you needed to take advantage of that fact on the Moby Dick.

To be honest, he was surprised he had even gotten a response from Sabo. For the first week the brothers were on the ship they had refused to talk to anyone but themselves, the exception being Luffy who was still calling Marco 'pineapple' (something Thatch wasn't going to let the man forget for a looong time) and generally being a nuisance. Those of the crew who had gotten annoyed with the little idiot had been quick to learn the wrath of his two over protective older brothers, and as such now put up with his blabbering with a pained smile and a paranoid glance to where the other two were. Sabo and Ace had quickly earned the reputation of bringing the apocalypse down on any poor soul who said a negative word about their 'baby' brother.

The fact that Sabo was now deigning to talk with a few of the commanders filled the redhead with hope that maybe Ace would follow in his brother's footsteps and talk with the rest of the crew and accept Whitebeard as his father...maybe that was going a bit too far but a man could dream couldn't he?

Thatch sighed before smiling jovially at the brothers who seemed to be nearing the end of their mountains. Five minutes and nobody had choked yet! That had to be a record!

"How can you guys pack that all away? And where does it all go?! You two aren't exactly packing it on and Luffy's as thin as a twig" he asked as he watched a whole chicken descend down Luffy's throat. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Ace and Sabo exchange what seemed like a worried glance but quickly dismissed the thought; after all, what could they be worried about? I mean sure, their brother who can eat at least three times his weight in food was definitely one of the thinnest people Thatch had met, and yes if he didn't watch the boy eat he would have thought he was malnourished, but that wasn't enough to warrant their overprotective worry...or maybe it was.

Now that the chef thought about it he scanned over all three brothers with a professional eye and didn't like what he saw. But for now he would wait until he got more evidence for his theory, just in case he was wrong and these boys just ate like this because they could. So lost in his contemplations, he failed to remember that he had asked a question until Sabo opened his mouth to speak.

"...we don't know...we ate a lot as kids and with the amount of exercise we do we've just kept eating like that..." He tailed off thoughtfully, never having really thought about their eating habits in too much detail. Growing up on and in the Grey Terminal meant you needed to eat, eat a lot, and eat fast. Whatever you didn't eat quick enough was fair game for anyone else, so you had to scarf it down and scarper if you wanted to eat another day. But the Whitebeard pirates didn't need to know that. The Spade pirates never cared, so why should this crew?

"Besides, Ace can't kill on an empty stomach" he added on with a laugh, hoping to veer this conversation away from their upbringing because thinking about their upbringing ultimately led them to think about-

No!

Sabo shook his head violently to dislodge that thought. He wasn't going to think about him, he wasn't going to think about him, _he wasn't going to think about him!_

If Thatch found Sabo banging his head against the table odd he didn't let on. Instead he acknowledged the boy wanted a subject change and rolled with it, noticing as he did that Luffy's eyes seemed a little wider than normal and that Ace was slowly paling.

"Ace can't kill Oyaji anyway. I doubt being full would make a difference." He commented, secretly congratulating himself when the brothers seemed to latch onto this change in subject like a lifeline. Besides, Ace was no longer so pale. His colour had returned...as well as his temper.

Dark grey eyes glared at Thatch as he threw a knife towards the man, one that normal people would usually eat with but when did he ever do things normally. To Ace's frustration Thatch just dodged it with a laugh.

When Thatch had calmed down he looked over the brothers with a smile and eyes filled with a strange emotion that caused Sabo to put down the salmon he was half way through demolishing. The other two hadn't noticed but then again he hadn't really expected them to. When Sabo looked into the redhead's eyes he suddenly felt like he had upset the older man in some way and wanted to cheer him up but he didn't know how.

'Why won't you trust us?' That's what he could read in the chef's eyes and it made him sad and weary all at the same time. The fact that just his eyes looking at him made Sabo want to spill his guts unsettled him quite a lot. He couldn't trust this man, not while Ace wanted to kill Whitebeard. The past two weeks had been a whirlwind for him and he had found himself starting to enjoy life on the Moby Dick. Luffy loved it and Sabo could tell, just by looking in his brothers eyes that it was starting to wear down Ace's walls too. But Ace was determined and he was fighting for his dream, and damn if Sabo wasn't going to support him!

Sabo looked up at Thatch with a smile. Not one of his large cheeky ones, but a soft one.

'We want to trust you, but we can't'

He tried to convey those feeling in his smile and by the nod of acceptance Thatch gave him he might have succeeded. He doubted the older man would give up though. Giving up just didn't seem like part of the resume for the Whitebeard pirates.

A loud chocking sound tore Sabo from his thoughts as he noticed Luffy turning an alarming shade of blue. Ignoring all the cheering and the groaning (stupid pirates were betting on this again) he turned his attention to making sure his little brother didn't die an embarrassing death by chicken. As soon as Luffy's colour had returned to normal and the chicken had been dislodged the brothers soon got into one of their usually fights over their food, leaving the rest of the galley laughing at their antics.

They couldn't trust the Whitebeard pirates, not yet...but that didn't mean that they didn't want to. 

**There we go, hope you enjoyed it! R&R please~**

**AboveSkye****: Thanks! This is my first One Piece story so I'm glad you liked it so much. I have always seen Ace as the eldest, and he is born two months before Sabo so it fits: doesn't mean he'll act like the eldest though ;p They are going to be cautious of the crewmates at first but it starts to change pretty soon next chapter~**

**MegDBrew****: Thanks! Glad you find it funny.**

**mixxi****: **_**Ohgoshpleasedon'tchoke**_**! I'm happy you found it funny~**

**Darkspider****: I'm glad you like it so far! Don't worry Luffy will still be going on his own adventure, nothing can stop that XP But that is for another fic~**

**Cyborgnetics****: I love them too and for that reason this fic will go on! As long as me and my friend keep coming up with ideas and seeing as we've already started planning a sequel you don't have to worry about this fic not continuing~ **

**XPao-17X**** : Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it~**

**Waterwolf****: Thanks! It's a fun thing to write about~**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! I personally really like this chapter and would really recommend listening to the song that Ace sings later on.**

**As with the last chapter, responses to reviews are at the end of the chapter. Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the Skye Boat song. One of them belongs to a wonderful Japanese man while the other belongs to Scottish history.**

There was fire everywhere. Chocking, roasting smoke billowed into the once blue sky. The ground itself was boiling and bubbling like magma under him as he ran through the burning furnace. He had to find them, he had to! He didn't want to be alone, especially not here.

The fire licked and charred his skin as he burst through into what used to be a clearing. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see. The black smoke clogged his throat and seared his eyes. Tears streaked down his face as he spun around, searching, hunting desperately for their faces. He needed to find them!

A strangled sob escaped the confines of this throat as he didn't see them, forcing his legs to start running again.

Then out of the flames loomed the two figures he was searching for. A smile of relief spread across his face: they were going to be okay-

A gunshot.

The smile froze on his face as he watched one of the silhouettes fall back into the flames, blood mixing with the molten metal. He opened his mouth to scream-

He woke up.

Luffy gasped for breath on the floor of the cabin the crew of the Moby Dick had given them. He bit down on his lip to stop his sobs, not wanting to wake his brothers up.

Up in the bed Ace was still fast asleep, no nightmares troubling his sleep. Sabo was curled up and on the floor beside him. Both of them had been adamant about Ace taking the bed as his narcolepsy had almost said hello in front of the crew. They had all decided they wanted to keep the narcolepsy as hidden as possible for as long as possible. So far they had managed to get away with it.

An unwanted sob escaped him as tears burned his eyes. Luffy bit down harder on his lip, desperately trying to keep in the sounds. He really didn't want to wake up his brothers. They had been watching him closely for the past few days, just in case this nightmare appeared. Ace had even put his assassination attempts on hold.

Shakily he crawled to his feet, making sure not to step on Sabo as he crossed the room to the door. He had to get out of here; the small room was making him feel trapped. He felt like a seven year old again, trapped by fire and the burning metal of the Grey Terminal.

He quickly moved towards the deck, avoiding any of the crew he happened to see who were on watch. He knew he would start to cry if anyone found him now.

With stealth not many what suspect he had, Luffy crept up to the figure head and sat down on the broad head of the white whale, hugging himself as he shook, trying to stop the tears from was concentrating so hard on not crying he didn't notice the large presence of Edward Newgate come up behind him and take a seat on the whale as well.

"What brought you out to sea, brat?"

Luffy jumped at the low grumbling voice and spun around to face the strongest man in the world. Even sitting down, Whitebeard towered over him. But that didn't bother him at all. He quickly scrubbed his tears away and looked up at the old man.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Why is it you're sailing?"

"I'm gonna be king of the pirates" he stated, smiling up at Whitebeard though it lacked his usually enthusiasm.

Whitebeard chuckled slightly causing Luffy to scowl up at him and pout.

"I am gonna be the king Old Man and then I'll have the most freedom anyone can have"

Whitebeard raised an eyebrow at that

"You want to be free brat? Then why do you sail as your brother as your captain?"

"Ace ain't my captain. He's just kidnapping me"

Luffy's answer left Whitebeard confused as the youngest of the three brothers turned back to watch the stars glittering in the sky, trying to calm down by remembering the stories Sabo had told him about the constellations.

"...explain."

"Ace and Sabo set sail when they were seventeen. I'm gonna do the same. They're kidnapping me so that Grandpa can't get me and make me join the marines" Luffy made a face and stuck out his tongue "I'm a pirate, I'm never gonna be a marine"

"Your brothers care about you a lot brat"

Luffy hummed and nodded, resting his head on his knees as he hugged his legs to his chest.

"So why are you out here instead of with them? I don't think anyone would chose to be alone"

At those words the flood banks broke. Before Whitebeard knew what was happening he had a bawling rubber-brained brat clinging to his trousers, crying his eyes out. Carefully he picked up Luffy, noticing how tiny he was even for a normal fourteen year old. As he rested the child (because that was what he was, even if he could fight and laugh and be a pirate) against his chest he caught the mumbled words about a fire and his brothers and how he never wanted to be alone. Whitebeard just held the youngest close to him, waiting until Luffy had cried himself to sleep.

It was only after Luffy was fast asleep, tears still drying on his face did he signal for Marco to come out of the shadows.

The phoenix's usually impassive face was drawn tight in concern as he looked up at the child in his father's arms.

"...should we wake his brothers, yoi?"

Newgate thought about it for a while before shaking his head.

"No. Let them sleep...in the meantime I can keep an eye on this little one"

Marco smiled slightly up at his father.

"Alright, yoi. But I think it would be a good plan to make sure he was back with his brothers when they wake up"

Whitebeard chuckled softly, making sure not to wake Luffy up.

"That may be true but I'm not going to wake this child up just to appease a few overprotective brats. If they have a problem with that they can take it up with me"

Marco frowned slightly before looking at Luffy, blue eyes softening as he noticed the swollen eyes and salty cheeks.

"...he was really scared, wasn't he yoi?"

Whitebeard nodded softly, raising a large finger to run over Luffy's unruly dark hair, hoping that whatever woke him up in the first place wouldn't bother him again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the Moby Dick were woken some time later by yelling and screeching and the smell of burning socks. Most of them took this to mean Luffy had done something stupid to wake his brothers up and now he was paying for it. However some were awake enough to discern meaning from the loud shouts of the two seventeen year olds.

"LUFFY?! LU, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"ACE CALM DOWN! YOU'RE GONNA SET THE SHIP ON FIRE"

"LU? WHERE HAVE THEY TAKEN YOU? YOU PIRATES BETTER GIVE MY BABY BROTHER BACK!"

That was the general gist of what was being yelled at eight o'clock in the morning, albeit with a lot more swearing involved.

Marco stumbled below deck to see two enraged older brothers shaking an unfortunate Jozu, looking like they were about to start beating him for answers.

"Luffy is with Pops, yoi. He's awake and safe"

As soon as he told them where their precious little brother was they were off, shooting up the stairs like they were shot from a cannon. They barrelled past any crew members unfortunate enough to get in their way as they rushed up to Whitebeard's seat. Once they got there it was obvious that Luffy had only just really woken up and was chattering away while sitting on Whitebeard's thigh.

"-and then there was this massive bear that came and it was obvious the tiger was going to fight but still-"

"Luffy!" both Sabo and Ace yelled as they stood at Whitebeard's feet. Ace was scowling with his arms crossed while Sabo was shaking his head in despair.

"What are you doing up there Lu?" sighed Sabo, looking up with a hopeless expression on his face. "Do you know how worried we were when we noticed you had gone this morning?"

Luffy crawled over to Whitebeard's knee to beam down at his older brothers.

"I was telling the Old Man some stories. He's been telling me some too! Did you know there's an island that has dinosaurs on it?!" they could see the stars in Luffy's eyes as he talked about this dinosaur island.

Sabo merely decided that if Luffy wasn't hurt then they should probably calm down...unfortunately Ace didn't share that view.

"Luffy, why are you up there in the first place? I didn't hear you leave the cabin and I refuse to believe you just felt like annoying Whitebeard to death"

Luffy tilted his head before turning away from his brother quickly, whistling a merry little tune to himself.

"N-no reason. It's not like I had a nightmare last night and didn't want to wake you both up. Nope, and I definitely didn't fall asleep on the Old Man when he came to talk to me...No, didn't do anything like that at all"

The surrounding crew had all fallen to the floor by this point.

'He's such a bad liar' seemed to spell itself out over the heads of the fallen crew members. The brothers however were used to Luffy's inability to lie. Instead they sighed in unison before gesturing Luffy to come back down on to the deck.

Luffy reluctantly slid down Whitebeard's leg and stood in front of Ace and Sabo, looking at them with sad brown eyes.

"I didn't want to wake you up and get you mad at me"

Ace's eyes softened until you could actually see the grey through the shadows, filled with guilt and love for his little brother. Sabo's mouth twitch into a small, sad smile as they both wrapped up their baby brother into a strong hug.

"We're not going to be mad at you for having a nightmare stupid"

"Sorry we couldn't make them go away forever"

Luffy let out a soft little giggle and buried his face in his brothers' arms. He felt the same warmth in them as he did when the Old Man held him last night and let him cry. He really did love his family.

Ace placed a tender kiss on his forehead as they pulled away from each other, keeping his arm around his little brother's skinny shoulders.

"Are you okay now? Or do you want Shank's lullaby?"

Marco and Whitebeard perked up at that name, confused at how these three seemed to know another Yonko. And what was this about a lullaby?

Whatever it was it made Luffy positively glow in happiness as he hugged Ace around the waist, nodding his head so much they were surprised it didn't come off. Ace laughed as he tried to make the leech known as Luffy let go, throwing a look that clearly said S.O.S to Sabo who was too busy chortling to care. When Ace finally got Luffy to stop hugging him all three brothers sat on the deck, watching the ocean as Sabo ran his fingers through Luffy's hair. It was a very peaceful scene, one that those watching felt a little guilty at observing.

Only Whitebeard and Marco could hear the soft singing that was coming from the eldest. He was rocking his youngest brother ever so slightly and singing so quietly they could have missed it; it filled them both with a warm nostalgia for a time long past and they knew now where this song came from.

"_Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,_

_Onward the sailors cry._

_Carry the lad that's born to be King,_

_Over the sea to Skye"_

Whitebeard closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips as another black haired young man flashed through his mind, a man who sang about the sea and kings to his own little brother. Funny how history repeats itself sometimes.

"_Loud the winds howl, load the waves roar,_

_Thunderclaps rent the air;_

_Baffled our foes stand by the shore,_

_Follow they will not dare"_

Marco however was remembering a different black haired man. Remembered a time when they had both been away from their ships; he had been with Thatch on a mission with pops, Gol.D Roger had wanted to get away from his first mate's nagging and had taken his red-haired cabin boy along with him. He hadn't thought that Shanks would have remembered the old lullaby his captain had once sang him but here was the same song, being sung to a brat with the same straw-hat perched upon his head.

"_Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,_

_Onward the sailors cry._

_Carry the lad that's born to be King,_

_Over the sea to Skye"_

Both the listeners smiled lightly as they listened to Ace's smooth soft voice carry on the song for another generation, a song that obviously held a lot of meaning for the three boys going by the soft, almost secretive smiles playing on the elder boys faces.

"_Many's the lad, fought on that day,_

_Well the claymore did wield._

_When the night came, silently lain_

_Dead on Culloden's field"_

Sabo could still remember clearly the day he had first heard this song. Funnily enough it was after the very same nightmare that must have plagued his precious brother last night. He had awoken to soft singing and a sight he never would have thought he'd see: Luffy (still covered in bandages) sobbing into Ace's chest (of course Ace looked just like a mummy at that point so who really knew if it was Ace) and Ace not getting mad and pushing him away. Instead Ace had been singing this song while running his fingers through Luffy's hair with eyes so sad and guilty it almost mad Sabo cry too. He had seen his brother in many different moods but he liked it best when Ace was singing this song; to chase away their nightmares and bring them back home again.

"_Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,_

_Onward the sailors cry._

_Carry the lad that's born to be King,_

_Over the sea to Skye"_

Ace continued singing softly, eyes far out to sea, rocking Luffy gently in his arms. He always felt special when he sang Shanks' lullaby to Luffy. He could still hear Luffy's words when he had asked what song it was all those years ago: 'it's the song Shanks would sing to me whenever I felt lonely at home.'

Luffy may not realise the extent of what this song meant but Ace did. Shanks had acted like a father to Luffy and for that Ace was grateful, maybe even more grateful for this than for Shanks saving Luffy's life. It was a tough one but Ace knew that because Luffy never had a father around that Shanks filling that role was truly a thing to be grateful for. It made him want to thank the red-haired Yonko even more, for giving him a song that would chase away every nightmare his precious baby brother ever had.

"_Though the waves leap, soft will ye sleep,_

_Ocean's royal bed._

_Rocked in the deep, Flora will keep,_

_Watch by your weary head"_

Luffy had had his eyes closed the entire time, humming gently along with the song. He didn't need to look out towards the ocean, out towards where he knew Shanks was waiting for him. All he needed was to shut his eyes and be transported back to when Shanks had first sung this song to him. For some reason he remembered that Shanks had been kind of upset when he told him that he mostly lived alone in his cold house that had too many rooms and not enough light. Then when Shanks offered to take a walk with him before he had to go to bed he had jumped at the offer, wanting to spend more time with the man he looked up to. He remembered they went along the beach and when he had started to get tired, Shanks had picked him and sang this song all the way back to his house. It was a song his captain had sung to him, which made it as precious as the beloved straw-hat. And it meant home to Luffy; wherever that song was sung, he'd be home and safe.

"_Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,_

_Onward the sailors cry._

_Carry the lad that's born to be King,_

_Over the sea to Skye"_

Ace hummed the last few bars as he felt his brothers lean against him, looking like they were about to doze off again. With gentle care that very few would believe he had he swept some of Sabo's blonde messy curls (that he still hadn't cut) back behind his ear, placed his brother's straw-hat back onto his head and proceeded to watch the ocean for the rest of the morning, regardless of what Marco or Whitebeard thought. For now he was content.

He had his brothers, a promise, and the whole ocean in front of him and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

**Okay guys that's the end of the third chapter~ R&R~**

**9momentos****: No he hasn't. Hopefully this chapter covered that a little bit. I will be going into greater detail, probably in the next chapter but don't worry. Luffy is still going to find his own crew at 17 and become the King of the Pirates!**

**Jenny****: Is it? I've triple checked and it seems fine to me. Which way are you using to read this? Sometimes chapters appear differently on the phones than they do on the website for some odd reason...Sorry.**

**Kurogitsune Yue****: I think the Whitebeard pirates bet on everything XP Here, have an update! I hope you like this chapter even though it's not as funny as the last.**

**Collette Nicole****: Thanks, glad you're liking it so far~ Garp and Shanks will be coming in soon, Shanks sooner than Garp will I think. All I can reveal is that when Garp comes to visit there will be a lot of screaming.**

**Waterwolf****: Thanks. They're trying to hide his narcolepsy because they don't quite trust them but once Ace trust the crew he's gonna drop like a stone XD**

**XxFire-PhoenixxX****: I love your name! Makes me think of AceMarco and then I'm in a very happy place. I can't promise that Marco won't be crying at one point, whether it's in frustration or sadness I'll leave to your imagination~ **

**Nurofen****: Thanks! Hopefully this is cute too~**

**Krystal 'Demon' Sanate****: Luffy chocked first so Haruta, Blenheim, Vista, Namur, and Izo won the bet along with a whole load of other crewmates I can't be bothered to name~ I'm glad you like it!**

**mixxi****: you're at McDonalds? **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: hi guys, decided to try and update today so I can be free to enjoy my birthday tomorrow, so have an update as a sort of birthday present?  
><strong> 

**As always, answers to reviews are down at the bottom and thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to review, follow, or favourite: it means a lot to me.  
><strong> 

**Disclaimer: I do not own one piece, I never have and I never will :'(**

It's was a calm peaceful day for a change on the Moby Dick, something a certain Phoenix had planned to take full advantage of. He had already finished his latest batch of paperwork, read the newspaper, reported to Pops about some trouble that seemed to be appearing on one of their islands, and was now attempting to relax in the crow's nest; hoping that none of his brothers or sisters would bother him too much today.

He should have known better.

Not ten minutes into his napping time did Marco get disturbed by none other than Thatch. Ever since last week's 'incident' (he refused to remember the terror on his youngest brothers face as he cried into Pops' chest) Thatch had been on edge, always making sure that little Luffy was well fed and that Ace and Sabo were eating all the vegetables, and while Marco approved of this fact (Luffy was a bit too skinny for Marco's liking and while Ace and Sabo weren't short he felt like they were due a growth spurt soon because they really did not look seventeen) it meant that stores were running low so they needed to stop off at an island soon; more paperwork for him.

So if he greeted his brother with a groan and an annoyed glare, he felt he was entitled to do that much.

"What is it, yoi?"

"Aww Marco, can't I just stop by to say hi to my bestest buddy?" Thatch grinned innocently, hiding his eyes from Marco but he could still tell something was off. He wasn't the 'mother hen' of the ship for nothing (though Thatch was giving him a run for his money when it came to their three youngest brothers).

"No. What's wrong, yoi?"

Thatch sighed and slumped down next to Marco, worry pinching the corners of his eyes and darkening his eyes.

"...I'm worried about the brats..."

Thatch bit his lip and threw a hesitant look at Marco, almost asking for his permission to continue. When he found no objection he ploughed on.

"It's just that, with the amount that they eat you'd think they'd be four times the weight they actually are, right?"

Marco nodded to show he agreed. He was starting to get an inkling to where this conversation was going.

"So the fact they aren't could mean that they have stupidly fast metabolisms...I'm worried that their growth was stunted because of that. I highly doubt those three lived an ideal childhood given the way they still don't trust as despite being with is for almost two months now. If they didn't get enough nutrients they could develop all sorts of health problems, plus the fact that Luffy looks like he's twelve rather than fourteen" he trailed off with a worried frown.

Marco knew what Thatch was implying. If their metabolisms really were incredibly fast that could cause all sorts of complications for the three brothers: High fatigue if they didn't get enough food, brittler bones that are easier to snap, muscle deterioration among other things. It made him even more concerned about the food storage.

"I'll keep an eye on them, yoi. Have you explained to them about this?"

Thatch shook his head.

"Somehow I doubt Ace will listen, Luffy won't understand what I'm talking about. Really I only have faith that Sabo will listen and then look out for his brothers...they've had to rely on themselves for so long it's like they don't even know a helping hand when they see one..."

"They probably don't...why don't you try and get the doctors to explain to them? Mention some of the consequences, yoi. That should motivate them to listen, for Luffy's sake if not their own"

Thatch nodded as he slowly got up from beside Marco to head back down to the deck. Before he left he raised his head to the sky, looking out over the calm blue sea and the whispy clouds that occasionally drifted across the sky.

"...I'm the head chef of the Whitebeard pirates Marco...I'm not about to let any of my brothers suffer because of food while I'm onboard..."

With that whispered vow Thatch slipped down onto the ladder and heading back down to the deck below.

Even though the redhead was no longer next to him, his words haunted Marco for the next half an hour. What if the damage from their childhood couldn't be fixed? Familiar worry gnawed at his heart. Why couldn't his family stop making him worry for them? Each of them was precious to him and even though Ace, Sabo, and Luffy hadn't yet acknowledged Whitebeard as their father it didn't make them any less family.

Instead of relaxing like he planned, Marco spent the next few hours planning what to do at the next island and mentally taking stock of all the things the crew needed to try and stop himself worry too much. He had just started working himself into a frenzy about their navigators cartography tools when a very welcome distraction appeared in the form of a soft smile from his more feminine brother.

"What do you want Izo, yoi?"

Izo smiled and carefully sat down opposite Marco, folding his kimono carefully around him to reduce the wrinkles in the beautiful fabric. As he carefully arranged his seat there was an air of hesitancy around him that clued Marco in to the fact that his headache was most likely not going to improve at any time.

"...Thatch is working himself to exhaustion...Haruta seems to be planning a prank to get him to relax again..."

Marco kept quite as he waited for his brother to get to the point.

"Ace hasn't attempted an assassination in a week. Do you think he's finally giving up?"

Marco let out a groan as he rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. So he wasn't the only one who had noticed. After the whole episode with Luffy, Ace seemed to become more mellow or at least more excepting to their attempts at friendships: he was even joining in with Haruta and Thatch's pranks!

"...I think he's finally starting to believe we genuinely want him in our family, yoi. Whether he's given up or not is a different question entirely"

"Sabo came and talked to me yesterday" Izo revealed with a relaxed smile as he turned to look at the waves far below him. As he looked down he noticed the mentioned blonde chatting to Namur as they looked over what seemed to be a map. Sabo seemed to be really enthusiastic about whatever he was talking about due to the exaggerated gestures he was making. "We had a nice conversation. It was mainly about world views but it was enjoyable. He seemed to absorb everything I said like it was the reason for life. I think he's trying to find something, he's gone and talked to many of the others like that too"

There was a long silence as Marco digested this. Why would Sabo be going around and gathering their views on the world? What would be the point?

"Why was he interested in how you view the world, yoi?" He asked, genuinely curious. He knew that Izo saw the world as a place full of different kinds of beauty and saw the government as the opposers of natural beauty. Everyone was unique in Izo's eyes and the government was trying to make everyone the same which was something Izo couldn't stand. The fact that Sabo would listen to every single word and absorb it all as well was impressive, especially seeing as most people would completely ignore Izo's ramblings of beauty and focus on something else while pretending to listen.

Izo shrugged elegantly, the motion making the petals on his royal purple kimono seem to flutter and twirl in the material.

"How should I know? He seems to actually care about what we say...it's funny actually; when I asked him what he thought of how I view the world he said something that I just can't get out my head"

"What did he say, yoi?"

Izo looked at him with sad warm eyes that made Marco want to punch something to make him feel better.

"...he said that the world was only beautiful when you have someone worth living for...he's seventeen Marco; what could have caused him that much pain at such a young age that only one person makes the world beautiful for him?"

When it was clear that he wouldn't be getting an answer from his brother, Izo stood up, squeezed Marco's shoulder in comfort before slipping away back to the deck, questions still swirling around his head.

_'What could have caused such pain?_' mused Marco, staring up at the sky. Gold had started to streak the clouds as evening approached, soft pinks and tawny orange colours the expanse above him. Where had the day gone?

He got to his feet and stretched out the knots in his back, leaning on the rails of the crows nest and observing his siblings from above. He smiled slightly as he noticed a specific orange hat climbing up to the nest. Looks like his visits weren't over for the day.

He leant against the railings, waiting for Ace to reach him and when he did he noticed the troubled look that seemed all too common today. All the same he would wait, and he would listen when Ace finally felt up to opening up to him. After about a minute Ace spoke, softly, and hesitantly; almost like he was scared to voice his thoughts out loud.

"...why do you still welcome us? I've tried to kill your captain so many times...why do you still want me around?..."

Marco smiled softly at him causing Ace to look away, bangs shadowing his eyes as he stared at the wooden boards beneath them.

"Let me ask you something, yoi. If your brother tried to kill one of your parents, how would you react?"

Ace frowned, obviously not understanding what this had to do with his question but decided to humour him. Maybe Marco was being cryptic again.

"...I don't know, I don't have any parents...If they tried to kill Makino I'd think they'd gone mad because she's kind to all of us...if they tried to kill Dadan that would be normal I guess; she always complained we were going to kill her one day...the only other person is the shitty gramps and we'd be running far away from him rather than trying to kill him...if Sabo or Luffy ever thought of that I'd say they were suicidal and let them go through with their death wish..."

He trailed off with a shudder, oblivious to Marco's wide eyes. When he had asked Ace that question he hadn't expected him to reveal so much about his childhood. How bad could their grandfather be if they ran the minute they saw him and 'kidnapped' Luffy just to keep him from him? He shook himself out of his musing before addressing Ace again.

"But you'd never turn on them, yoi? You'd always be there for them, even if they did many terrible things?"

"Of course I would" snapped Ace, straightening up to glare at Marco, grey eyes sharp like steel as the pierced his heart in anger "they're my brothers! Not only my brothers but my little brothers too! What kind of a brother would I be if I left them the minute they did something I didn't like?!"

Flames danced along his fingers as his anger simmered at that suggestion. He'd never leave his brothers, not over something so superficial as a little disagreement. He'd made that mistake once before and they had all learned from it. Like hell he was going to make that mistake again!

His anger was cut off by Marco's soft chuckling and understanding smile.

"It's hard being the eldest, isn't it, yoi? As for why we keep you around...you're our brother now Ace: you, Sabo, and Luffy. We're not about to abandon you, yoi"

Ace stared at him with impossibly wide eyes before lowering them to the floor once more. Marco watched him as he hunched his shoulders, as if to protect himself from being hurt again. And Marco wanted to fry every person who had ever made this precious (fragile even, not that Marco ever thought he'd see the day where he'd think Ace was fragile) teen hurt in his heart. A heart that everyone on the Moby Dick was determined to heal.

"...why do you call him Pops?..." He whispered out into the gathering sunset, twilight shadows hiding his face from view but still Marco smiled at him.

"...because he calls us his sons. To the rest of the world we're monsters. It makes us happy, yoi..." With a gentle smile Marco reached over and ruffled Ace's hair softly before leaving the crows nest, determinedly ignoring the crystalline drops that fell to the floorboards beneath the fire user. It was time he left the crows nest anyway, he probably had more paperwork to do anyway.

For a long time Ace stayed up there, heart warming so much it hurt; hurt to think that there could be a place that even a monster like him was accepted. In a way he was glad that he had the chance to think alone, to hope alone. He didn't ever want Luffy to see him cry after all.

All the same he was glad when the unmistakable yell of Luffy's rocket and the telltale yelp from Sabo heralded the arrival of his brothers. And if Sabo noticed his eyes were slightly red and his cheeks were slightly flushed (he so noticed, it's Sabo!) then he didn't comment or tease, just gave him a small grin after righting his top hat and flopped bonelessly down onto the floor of the crows nest.

"I think Izo was trying to con Haruta into a make over earlier. Should be funny to watch if he succeeds" reported Sabo with a silly grin on his face as Luffy plopped down next to them, staring up at his brothers with his head resting comfortably in his hands.

Ace let them draw him into a conversation all about what had happened during the times they were apart during the day, becoming up-to-date with the latest eating contest (for once it wasn't two of the brothers competing but it was instead John from the third devision versus Tsu from the twelve devision: Tsu won apparently), learning all about Haruta's latest prank on the fourth devision to try and get Thatch away from the kitchen (somehow she had managed to fill everyone's shoes with fish eggs: how she managed that Ace didn't want to know), being filled in on the map Namur showed Sabo earlier (apparently they were going to be restocking soon), and being informed that Thatch wanted them to call in to the infirmary the next day for some reason.

After the talking they let the night wash over them, Luffy leaning his head against Ace's thigh whilst he ran gentle fingers through his baby brother's hair, trying to lull him to sleep. It was only when Luffy was halfway between sleeping and waking did Ace feel the need to consult with Sabo. He knew what he wanted but he also wanted his brothers to be happy too.

"...Sabo?"

"Yeah?"

"...what do you think...of joining the old man's crew?"

"I'm not opposed to it."

When Ace looked away from Luffy to meet Sabo's gaze he noticed the same longing that he was sure was reflected in his own eyes.

"Everyone on this ship...they all love freedom and family...they fight to protect it. I wouldn't mind staying here, sailing with these people forever. I also want you to be happy so I think it'll be best for you to join this crew"

Ace smiled at him, glad that he never really had to speak for Sabo to know what he was feeling. A small giggle alerted him to the fact that Luffy had been listening in.

"I like Pops...I'm still going to sail on my own one day...but I want to stay with Pops and Ace and Sabo and Pineapple and Thatch and everyone until then..."

They both chuckled slightly, doubting Luffy would ever call Marco by his name. Eyes softening as they looked at their brother before meeting once more and nodding their heads in agreement: they'd go see Pops tonight and ask to be properly inducted into the Whitebeard crew.

Ace carefully carried Luffy down the ladder, Sabo beneath them in case Luffy slipped off his back and fell, despite the impact not hurting the rubber teen (they knew it wouldn't hurt but that didn't stop them from worrying about it). Once they were safely back on the large deck they headed off to put Luffy in their cabin, glad they had eaten dinner before Ace went to talk to Marco otherwise Luffy would have refused to go to bed. Once their little brother was tucked into bed and his hair was successfully ruffled the two brothers slipped silently over to Whitebeard's room, knocked on the door and prepared what they were going to say.

They were going to come clean, about all of it: Ace's parentage, Sabo's background, everything.

Even all their mental preparations didn't help when they were facing the giant of a man that they were hoping would still want them as sons after this.

"What's the matter, brats?" He asked, taking a swig of rum as he looked over them with a careful, kind eye.

That look was all it took to make them crumble. Shakily Sabo stepped forward.

"...we...we want to take you up on your offer...if you still want us after this" he bowed his head respectfully, unintentionally hunching his shoulders incase of rejection.

Whitebeard let out a loud chuckle.

"Nothing could make me disown you my sons. Nothing in this world"

This was apparently too much for them as they both blurted out at the same time:

"I'm the son of Gol. D Roger, your enemy! How could you still want _me_?"

"I was born a Noble, but I hate them all so much. Why would you let someone like _me_ become one of your sons?"

They blinked at each other before bowing their heads, fully prepared for Whitebeard to send them away, even try to kill them now. What they didn't expect was, after a long stretch of silence, for Whitebeard to let out a gentle chuckle and carefully raise their chins with one finger, making sure to look them both in the eyes.

"We are all children of the sea. It does not matter to me who your parents were, who they are, or who you were born to be in the eyes of the government. All that matters to me, my sons, is who _you_ are. You and only you. That is what matters to me."

Ace bit down on his lip harshly to stop himself crying for the second time today before bowing low in gratitude, Sabo copying him while wiping tears out of his eyes. After years of not belonging anyway, they had a place to call home, a father that actually cared about them, and a family that would love and support them no matter what.

It took them a while to calm down and get themselves composed enough for when Whitebea- no, for when Pops called for Izo to come in. They were then lead out of the captains cabin, down through the hallways to wear they would get their tattoos; they were finally about to become official Whitebeard pirates and be blessed with Pops' mark like all their other siblings.

They were finally home.

**A/N: there we go, another chapter done! R&R please~**

**MysticWaterWolf****: ah okay, Hi! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hopefully after this one they will start to get funny again (the crew gets introduced to narcolepsy next chapter!)**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan****: sorry? XD sorry I gave you feels.**

**Kurogitsune Yue****: I'm glad to hear you enjoyed last chapter even though it wasn't on the funny side. Ace is such a sweetie to his little brother sometimes~ here's your update!**

**MissJenca****: thank you very much! XD I'm glad you liked the song so much~**

**maxe03****: no they don't, not yet. Not even Ace knows Haki properly. They're heard about it but they haven't started trying to utilise it themselves yet. They've only been on the grand line for about half a year now so it really makes no sense for them to know it at the moment. I will probably add a few of their old crew mates in but I'm mainly focusing on the crew of the Moby Dick at the moment.**

** -insomniatic****: thanks! I love the bond the ASL brothers have and I love to explore it and I hope they're staying true to character as well. I've always loved how Shanks would always make time to tell Luffy stories and their bond is so important to Luffy's character. Also, little hint to the future: you're gonna really like the next few chapters (they include more Shanks love!)**

**9momentos****: no it's not anything canon related so you wouldn't recognise it~ it's just my own head cannon that sprung to life after reading **_**'Brothers Before'**_** by the amazing **_**TheInnocentOne123**_**. I definitely recommend you read it if you want to understand who the black haired brothers are meant to be XD**

**Guest****: thank you! Now I know why it looked so wrong on the page XD they already know about his devil fruit. It's not exactly an easy thing to hide, and with how they all met they would have seen him stretching to try and help Ace.**

**Poisoned Sidd****- I'm glad you found it sweet~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everybody~ Thanks so much for the great response to last chapter. This chapter is the longest by far and I was originally planning of adding another part but because just the first part was so long I've decided to have the second part as a separate chapter. **

**Also if you can guess what incident Ace is referring to when he's speaking to Izo and Haruta then you win a prize~ First to get it right will be able to suggest something they want to see in the story and I will write it in! Only rules: do not request pairings. I already have pairing in my mind and they're not showing up much in this story.**

**As always, answers to reviews are at the bottom~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece to my utter sadness**

To say the next day was pandemonium would be an understatement. The moment Ace stepped on deck without his shirt on he got several shocked looks, many double takes and quite a few wolf whistles that made him duck his head slightly but grin proudly as he displayed the large jolly roger tattooed on his back for the entire world to see. After getting over his shock Thatch bounded over to their newest brother and threw an arm around his shoulders, grinning like a madman.

"Finally seen sense then, little brother?" he teased, ruffling Ace's raven hair as he took in the light in their new brother's eyes. It was almost as if the world had been taken off of his shoulders, allowing him to stand tall and proud and free. Thatch was glad; the shadows that had haunted Ace whenever they talked before were practically nonexistent now, grey turning silver in the bright sunlight.

Ace chuckled, a surprisingly warm sound that Thatch was looking forward to drawing out more often.

"Yeah, it took a conversation with Marco and then reassurance from Pops but...we definitely saw sense"

Thatch laughed along with Ace, clapping him on the shoulder gently, mindful of his new tattoo. He didn't want to accidently hurt his brother now did he?

"Ah, where would we be without Mama Marco?"

For-mentioned 'Mama' glared at him across the deck before skulking below to get breakfast. Ace turned to him with a broad grin and curious eyes.

"Mama?"

Thatch nodded sagely as Haruta popped up beside him with an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Yeah, Mama Marco! He's such a mother hen it works. Trust us on this; you'll be calling him that sooner or later"

Ace bent over laughing, imagining what would happen if Luffy was told this; he'd probably christen Marco 'Mama Pineapple' just to piss him off in that adorable oblivious way of his. Actually, maybe he should inform his little brother of this fact, it wouldn't do to leave him out the loop after all. What if he got confused?

Thatch suddenly bumped his fist into his palm, a look of surprised confusion on his face.

"I've just had an idea-"

"Don't hurt yourself"

"And it only took ten years?"

Haruta and Ace blinked at each before starting to snicker at Thatch's affronted expression.

"Yes I've had an idea, it's been known to happen" he snapped back with a pout on his face.  
>Haruta laughed and hugged him around the waist.<p>

"We're just kidding Thatch. You have great ideas" she laughed as she hugged him, winking at Ace as Thatch grinned proudly down at her, ruffling her hair for good measure.

"You better remember it squirt, or it's your division that's getting pranked next"

Haruta pulled away with a huff, glaring at Thatch as she pouted.

"Don't call me squirt"

"Then don't be short"

"As much as I love this gripping discussion" laughed Ace as both the commanders flushed slightly and grinned at him "you had an idea Thatch?"

A blank look of confusion was his answer before understanding dawned in his dark eyes.

"Yeah, where's Sabo?"

Ace looked around, seemingly only just noticing his blonde brother hadn't come up on deck with him.

"Huh, that is a good question...where is Sabo?"

Haruta stared at Ace like he was an idiot.

"Let me get this right; you don't know where one of your brothers is, despite sleeping in the same cabin as them, and the despite the fact he is one of the few blonde people on this ship?"

"Yeah that's about right, why?" Ace confirmed with a blank look. Thatch and Haruta just looked at him incredulously. It was only when they wouldn't stop staring that Ace help up his hands in a surrender motion, getting a little annoyed and embarrassed by the fact they expected him to know where his brother was.

"We don't gravitate towards each other you know. It's not like we know where each other is all the time, Sabo left the cabin before I did and breakfast hasn't been served yet"

"Oh yeah it hasn't" replied Thatch and Haruta as one before Thatch blanched and Haruta started cackling. Without even saying goodbye Thatch bolted for the galley.

"What's with him?" asked Ace, craning his neck to try and follow the trail of dust left behind with his eyes.

Haruta grabbed his arm and started tugging him along, laughing merrily and completely ignoring all the nervous looks she was getting from her beloved crewmates. Was it a crime to find something funny now?...On second thoughts it was probably best not to answer that.

"Our lovely head chef sometimes forgets he is needed in the kitchen" Haruta explained to the bewildered brother that she still hadn't let go of as she started to drag him below deck "He loves his job but he sometimes gets too caught up in what's going on"  
>Ace made a noise of acknowledgement as he caught sight of his raven haired younger brother.<p>

"Oi, Lu!" he yelled, grinning when his brother's head spun around the full 180 degrees, freaking out a poor innocent Izo. Despite the entire crew knowing about Luffy's devil fruit seeing it unexpectedly could still shock them, especially when it showed off how easily he broke the laws of human anatomy.

"Do you know where Sabo went?"  
>Luffy shrugged, spinning the rest of his body round to face Ace with a grin.<p>

"No idea. He wasn't in the cabin when I woke up" he plopped his head in his hand as he sat down, frowning in concentration (and no Ace was not mentally cooing at how adorable his baby brother was). Izo sighed from behind him.  
>"You could just ask me you know?"<p>

Luffy bent backwards to stare up at the crossdresser while Ace slowly walked towards him, dragging Haruta (who still hadn't let go of his arm, dammit) along with him.

"What do you mean?"

"Sabo came to see me this morning" Izo revealed oblivious to the narrowing of Ace's eyes. Just because he was now a Whitebeard Pirate didn't mean his protective streak had gone away over night. "I meant to ask last night but where did your brother get that awful scar? It goes all around his chest and back"

"...Why did you see my brother half-naked?" growled Ace causing Izo to give him a blank look and a tap on the forehead.

"Nothing like that you idiot. This was the first time Sabo has gotten a tattoo unlike you. He also wanted to get another one this morning which is where he's been. I was talking him through how to care for it again; he was half asleep last night and wanted reassurance. Get your mind out the gutter, and may I remind you that you are currently walking around half-naked and presenting quite the view to the world."

Ace flushed slightly and crossed his arms pouting while Luffy giggled, watching his big brother getting told off. After his giggle fit calmed down he smiled brightly at Izo.

"Sabo got that scar when a Celestial Dragon killed him"  
>The only sound in the resonating silence after this was Ace face palming at his brother's words.<p>

"Almost killed, Lu. Almost" he muttered through his fingers, turning with a sigh to their new family who were looking at them strangely (who wouldn't?). "When we were ten some stuff happened that caused Sabo to set out to sea earlier than we had agreed on. His boat crossed path with a Celestial Dragon" Ace explained, sliding down the wall to join his youngest brother on the floor.

"We all thought he was dead. Lu cried for weeks" Ace looked up at Izo and Haruta with a tired smile, grief and guilt swimming in his eyes.

"We could hardly function; it never really hit me how much responsibility an older brother had until I didn't have Sabo there to help shoulder it. I put Luffy through a lot of pain; he almost died because of me"

Izo and Haruta joined the brothers on the floor, not caring how this would look to any random crew member that happened to walk past, caring only about the first story they had heard of their newest brother's pasts.

"On the day I had almost lost my brother, Sabo was brought back home. A man had seen what had happened and had saved him. He was hurt really bad, unconscious for a month. According to him anytime Sabo would wake up he would beg to be allowed to come home, to me and Luffy. The man eventually gave in and brought him back, two months after we thought he had died. He still couldn't do much, and spent more time sleeping than being awake but he was alive: all thanks to that man"

"That's where he got his scar" murmured Luffy, eyes shadowed in sadness before brightening as the smell of meat wafted down the corridor. With a yell of delight he was on his feet, running down the corridor screaming: "MEEEEEEAAAAT!" at the top of his lungs.

Ace chuckled. Trust Luffy to break an atmosphere.

"That's why you're so protective of them" murmured Haruta with a gentle smile. "You don't want to lose them again"

Ace gave them a sad little smile "my brothers mean the world to me. I don't know where I'd be without them"

Bracing himself against the wall, he slowly climbed to his feet, smiling when Haruta held out a hand to help but not bothering to accept it. He could get up on his own. Just as he thought that a wave of darkness invaded his vision, leaving just enough time for him to curse his narcolepsy in his mind before being pulled under the blanket of sleep and falling head first onto the floor.

To say Haruta and Izo freaked out would be putting it mildly. If freaking out consisted of Haruta running around Ace's unconscious form screaming her head off before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently then yes, they freaked out. If freaking out also consisted of Izo running up the corridor screaming for a doctor and saying that one of their youngest brothers might be dying then yes, they definitely freaked out. It got slightly ridiculous however when they both grabbed Ace, bolted to the galley and threw him in his brothers faces (so that's where Sabo went) screaming at them to fix him.

Sabo calmly put down his fork (and when did he use forks?) and turned to assess the situation with an amused glint in his dark eyes. Almost as if he had planned this from the beginner he held up a marker that was quickly snatched by a pair of rubber hands.

"I can't fix him. He needs to wake up of his own accord" Sabo informed them, taking a sip of his tea with a smirk, seeming to ignore how his little brother was now doodling all over their poor narcoleptic sibling.

Izo and Haruta stared at them. They were still staring when Thatch brought over a large platter full of food, one for each other brothers.

"Finished with first breakfast already?" he chirped before noticing Ace's condition. "What's wrong with Flamebrain over there?" he asked, nodding his head towards Ace as he set down the platters in front of Sabo and Luffy who looked at him as if he had just delivered their firstborns.

"Praise you, you magnificent man" was all the answer he got before Sabo joined his slightly more awake brother in devouring the food that was put in front of them.

Obviously not going to get an answer out of the two black holes he turned to look at his other two siblings...who were just standing there...gaping...With a sigh Thatch mentally moved Izo and Haruta away from the 'relatively-sane' category to the 'I-don't-even-fucking-know-anymore' category of his many siblings. Who just stares at a galley table? Surely they were used to Sabo and Luffy's eating habits by now? All the same...

Thatch bent down and started to poke at one of Ace's doodled on cheeks. Looks like Luffy had plenty of fun playing connect-the-freckles judging by the flowers and smiley faces littering Ace's face. Still, Ace had to be awake to eat and Thatch knew his brother and sister would be no help to him at the moment if they continued to work on their goldfish impressions.

Just as Thatch was about to give up and bring in a water bucket Ace jerked away, flying up and smacking his head against Thatch's chest, flailing slightly as he tried to place his surroundings; Thatch ended up getting hit a lot during this endeavour. Then Ace noticed food and he had to fling himself out of the way of the raven haired teen just to avoid getting hit even more.

With a fond laugh and a small wince he sat down at the table with the brothers, waiting until there was a lull in the rate of consumption for him to ask his questions. And just what were Haruta and Izo still doing standing around like that?

With a huff, Thatch turned to them and started clicking his fingers to get their attention. When they turned their creepy blank stare on him he repressed a shudder and tried to smile at them.

"Sit down you two. These three aren't going anywhere as long as food is being served"

They sat, blinking furiously and shaking their heads, almost as if they were trying to re-wire their brains into working again. Thatch shook his head and gave up on wondering what had happened. After about ten minutes of watching the three brothers devour plate after plate of food they finally slowed down enough for Thatch to ask his question again.

"So why was Ace taking a nap on the floor earlier?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to blink at him. He had to pinch his leg to stop himself from laughing at the artwork that was Ace's face. Comprehension dawned in Sabo's eyes as he remembered the question Thatch had originally asked.

"Oh right, Ace has narcolepsy" Sabo informed them with a smile, looking far too amused at their gobsmacked expressions than the situation called for.

Thatch quickly rearranged his face into what he hoped was a politely puzzled face.

"And why, pray tell, are we only hearing about this now?"

Sabo and Ace turned to look at each other before turning back to Thatch, eyebrows raised.

"We didn't trust you"

And with that profound statement they went back to the hobby they called eating.

After getting over the sting of those words Thatch, Izo, and Haruta could all see why they had hidden Ace's narcolepsy from them. If they had been any other pirate crew they most likely would have taken advantage of the teen. It made all of them shudder to think about what might have happened to Ace if he fell asleep on the ship of another pirate crew. That settled it; from now on they wouldn't let the attractive teen out of their sights just in case he had a narcolepsy attack.

Learning about Ace's narcolepsy reminded Thatch that he had to take the brothers to the infirmary after breakfast, which he quickly reminded the boys about. The only way they could tell the boys had listened was the simultaneous groans from Ace and Sabo and the familiar giggle from Luffy.

It took them ten minutes to finish the rest of their breakfast, being closely monitored by Thatch who was making sure they ate everything he had prepared for them and making sure that neither Ace or Sabo stole anything from Luffy's plate; the rest of the crew where fair game though.

Ace got up with a huff, not really wanting to go to the infirmary or understanding why it was necessary. He stretched his arms out, careful when it came to stretching his shoulders as the skin around his tattoo was extremely tender. He didn't remember the healing stage of a tattoo starting so quickly. When he got his name tattooed on his arm it only took about a week to heal and it didn't start itching until day three. He noticed Sabo about to start scratching his chest, where he knew his tattoo was and quickly stopped him.

"Don't scratch at it or it won't heal properly." he scolded, grinning lightly. Usually he was being the one scolded so it felt good to be in the right for once. He very rarely won arguments against Sabo after all. Luffy grinned up at his brothers, bouncing around on the balls of his feet.

"Can I see it?" he asked eyes bright with curiosity. He could easily see Ace's tattoo but he wondered whether Sabo had gotten the same design. He noticed that some of the other crew members like Marco had a design that was similar to the Jolly Roger but not quite the same.

Sabo grinned at his brother before unbuttoning the top of his shirt and revealing not one but two tattoos. One of them was the Whitebeard Jolly Roger, similar to the one Ace had on his back only this was much smaller. It was placed just below his right collarbone, opposite where his heart was. The other tattoo was placed directly over his heart. It was three letters, interwoven with each other in loopy cursive writing spelling out '_ASL_'. Behind each letter there was a symbol, two flowers gently coiled behind the '_A_' and the '_S_' while tiny bubbles floated around the '_L_'. It was quite an elegant tattoo and it seemed to mean a lot to the brothers. As soon as Ace and Luffy laid eyes on it they gathered their brother into a tight hug, not letting him go even when he started turning a very light shade of blue.

They didn't seem like they wanted to let go at all but Haruta pointed out that Sabo was now leaving blue and turning purple. That managed to get the raven haired boys to let go of their unfortunate brother who slid out of the grip like a limp fish, deflated and gasping for breath.

"Remind me" Sabo gasped when he finally had enough air in his lungs "to never show you two anymore tattoos I might get."

Ace laughed sheepishly, scratching his head in embarrassment while Luffy just grinned on, oblivious.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Ace offered Sabo and hand and helped him to his feet. He was honestly incredibly honoured that Sabo would get their initials tattooed onto his skin, right across his heart. Judging by the happy smile on his face Sabo had guessed how he was feeling, causing him to flush lightly and stomp out of the galley yelling about how they needed to go to the infirmary, his brothers laughter ringing through the halls after him.

When Thatch forced them to go to the infirmary they had expected it to be just a normal medical check up (they were fully prepared to tell the doctors and nurses about Ace's narcolepsy and how he had to have at least ten cups of stupidly strong coffee a day just to keep him upright). What they didn't expect however was Thatch to sit down with them and, with the help of the head doctor Hanna, explain to them all about their metabolic rates, and their blood sugars, and many other things that flew straight through their heads. Sabo tried to understand some of it but he wasn't a keen medic (though he may just 'liberate' some books about it. Being able to know more about the human anatomy could only be a good thing in the future).

What did enter all of their heads though was that due to their metabolisms they would need to eat a lot more because without food as an energy source their metabolisms would start to break down their muscles to gain the energy their bodies needed.

"...Well that explains a few things" muttered Sabo after the few minutes of silence they had been given to digest this information. He traded a worried look with Ace; Luffy was made of rubber and used up far more calories than either of they did. They would have to be very careful with what Luffy was eating now, making sure he got all the right nutrients because they knew he would not know how to check for them himself.

Ace turned to Thatch with a determined expression.

"You need to know all about nutrition because you're a chef, right?" he asked the redhead, grinning when Thatch nodded. "Would you be able to teach me? Just in case we ever get sent away from the Moby Dick and we don't have you with us."

"Sure, I don't mind. Just come down to the kitchens when we're preparing meals and as long as you don't steal any food, I'll teach you while I cook." Thatch grinned, reaching over to ruffle Ace's hair, laughing when the irritated teen slapped his hand away. Their moment of fun was interrupted when another nurse came over to them with a worried frown on her face.

"Sabo, did you perhaps break your arm when you were younger? There's some abnormality in your left arm that could be from a bone not healing correctly" she asked causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow at her before trying to remember if he had. He had definitely broken his arm during the Celestial Dragon incident when he was ten but that had healed just fine; the funny guy with the massive afro had made sure to set it and wrapped it in a cast before sending him back to his brothers. The only other time his arm had broken was when he...was when he...

All of the colour drained from his face as he instantly tried to repress his memories of That. He really did not want to remember that shitty old man. Ace and Luffy noticed the shaking of his shoulders and felt stabs of panic set in their hearts too. The nurses seemed baffled and alarmed when all three of the brothers started shaking, eyes darting around as if expecting an attack to come out of nowhere. Hanna quickly jotted down 'possible trauma' to her growing list of medical problems the boys could possibly be suffering from.

Thatch quickly reacted, remembering when this had happened before in one of their conversations, and fished around for another topic. Luckily for him Sabo's chest was still on show.

"What does '_ASL_' mean anyway?"

Sabo looked up at him with wide eyes, calming down when he remembered he was still on the Moby Dick and that the shitty geezer was most likely nowhere near them. That calmed him down like nothing else.

"It stands for 'Ace, Sabo, Luffy'. We used our initials on our first pirate flag when we were kids." Sabo quickly turned to his still pale brothers. "He's not here. The shitty geezer isn't anywhere near us and I doubt he would want to come near Pops in any case. We've managed to avoid him since Luffy's fourteenth; we can still avoid him now."

Ace and Luffy nodded to show they understand, Luffy wrapping his arms tight around Ace's middle as he tried to calm himself down. Seeing that at least one of them was calm, Thatch decided to try and ask who this 'shitty geezer' was and why they were so terrified of him.

"Who is it you're trying to avoid?"

"The Shitty old man"

"Shitty gramps"

"Grandpa" were his three individual answers from three equally scared teenagers.

'_Their Grandpa?_' Thatch thought, frowning slightly. Didn't Marco say something about how Ace was kidnapping Luffy to him away from their grandfather? Thatch shared a bewildered and slightly worried look with the nurses before turning back to the brothers.

"And what would your grandpa have to do with you breaking your arm?"

"He broke it!" exclaimed Sabo, looking at him like it was strange for him to be questioning how he had gotten a broken arm in the first place. "During his stupid 'training'. What he was training us for I don't know because not even marines could go through that every day and still be around to tell the tale"

"Maybe that's why they're all idiots?" Luffy suggested, tilting his head to the side as Thatch tried to wrap his mind around the latest bit of information they shared; what did the marines have to do with any of this? "Shanks always said they suffered some kind of brain damage shihihihi"

Sabo and Ace let out a few weak laughs of their own before finally calming down completely.

"You know Red-Hair?" questioned Hanna, raising an eyebrow in curiosity (yes everyone on the Moby Dick was a nosy sod but they lived in the middle of the ocean! Not the best place to get the freshest gossip so they had to entertain themselves with their own).

"Yup" Luffy chirped, bouncing up from where he had been sitting. "He stayed in my village when I was seven. He saved my life and gave me this hat." Luffy carefully removed the treasured straw-hat from his head, gazing at it fondly as he remembered the day he got it.

"_I'll let you take care of this hat. It's very important to me. Take good care of it. Someday...return it to me...as a great Pirate"_

"I promised I would become the Pirate King, and when I have my own crew we'll beat Shanks and the rest. Then we'll sail all around the world, having even more adventures"

The others looked on with fond eyes and soft smiles as Luffy continued to talk about Shanks. Respect and admiration flowed of Luffy's voice like waves on the sand. His eyes positively glowed as he spoke about a man who had changed his life, and a man he wanted to surpass one day. Even though he never said it, maybe didn't even know it himself, everyone who was listening could hear that above all else Luffy wanted Shanks to be proud of him when they met up again.

Thatch didn't always see eye-to-eye with the other redhead but even he couldn't help but admire him from the way Luffy was speaking. And when Ace and Sabo expressed their wish to meet him and thank him for saving Luffy's life, well, Thatch might just have to join them in that expedition. He doubted even Marco would protest if he threw a party the next time they ran into Shanks, especially seeing as Thatch was planning to tell him this story as soon as he possibly could.

What should have been a quick check-up and explanation had turned into a full on story time and Thatch couldn't find it in himself to be bothered by that too much. He even shared some of his own stories like when the crew had found a large baby parrot that took to calling Marco 'Mama' (hence where the nickname started), and the time that they had stumbled upon an island where the atmosphere made you speak in rhyming couplets as long as you were breathing the air around the island (that was an interesting three days and they had learned that Fossa could swear quite creatively).

Unfortunately for him Marco chose a really bad time to check in on Ace, Sabo and Luffy. Sabo and Ace bit down on their lips to stop themselves from laughing as soon as they saw the first commander but then Luffy happened (in all his adorable, I'm-going-to-wreck-your-life glory).

"Mama Pineapple? Where'd your baby parrot go?"

Ace, Sabo and Thatch burst out laughing while Luffy looked around, confused at the laughter but glad his brothers seemed to be having a good time. Marco, however, wasn't.

"My. Name. Is. Marco." He forced out through gritted teeth. Usually it took a lot to get him annoyed but Luffy was a natural at it. "Do not call me 'Mama' and I do not own a parrot, yoi."

Thatch raised his hands in an attempt at surrender at the look Marco gave him. His attempt was spoiled by the grin that was splitting his face in two.

"Pops wants to see Ace and Sabo, yoi"

With his message delivered Marco turned to leave stopping only to groan when Luffy yelled out: "Bye Bye Mama Pineapple!" accompanied by the raucous laughter of his many siblings.

**A/N: There we go guys the end of chapter 5...or halfway through the original chapter 5 XP Hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review what you think the incident Ace is talking about is~ Thanks for reading!**

**Guest 1****: Thank you very much, I noticed those errors after I had posted it XP I might repost some chapters later with all spelling mistakes taken care of but at the moment I'm focusing on future chapters rather than past one. Thank you very much though!**

**The voice of all things****: Thank you very much; I'm glad you're enjoying it. I love your icon btw~**

**Shiro-no-Ouji****: Thanks, I'm glad you found it sweet~**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan****: Okay I won't apologize then ;p As much as I love that image the Whitebeards have known from the start about Luffy's powers. They don't know the full extent of them but they do know they exist. Remember Luffy and Sabo fought the crew to try and get Ace back before the events of the first chapter and most of Luffy's fighting style revolves around his powers. I love it when it's kept a secret but it just wasn't practical with how my story started. Sorry, but have an update to apologize with~**

**piratehnter****: I'm glad you're enjoying it~...heh, heh, it's not like Shanks is coming in in the next chapter or anything heh, heh, heh...**

**Collette Nicole****: That's fine, I don't mind. I'm just glad you liked last chapter and I hope you like this one: it had narcolepsy and a Shanks mention!**

**Guest 2****: isn't it a weakness for all of us? I'm happy you like it so far!**

**TheInnocentOne123****: They should just make a separate manga dedicated to ASL in my opinion~ I hope you like Marco's new nickname too~**

**yamihime misa-chan****: You're English is not appalling at all! It's far better than I could ever hope to write in Spanish anyway~ I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! Recommendations... if you want more ASL and the Whitebeards I recommend 'The Moby Dick's Tales' by the amazing 'Freefan1412'. They're a collection of one-shots that are hilarious and extremely well written. I'd also recommend you check out an author called 'Taisi' if you want really cute StrawHat Pirates nakamaship stories. They've done a whole collection of One Piece stories and I recommend all of them, and they do other fandoms as well just in case you see others you like~ Happy reading!**

**animesarecool****: Here's an update! I have 11 chapters planned out at the moment and I know it's going to be longer than that. I might have a few time skips here and there but I do know where I want to end this story and where I want to begin the sequel. **

**Insane Blood Prince****: Oh he's going to get a tattoo don't you worry. But he'll get his latter on, and while it won't be as big as Ace's (that boy has to be compensating for something, I swear) or the same size as Sabo's I do know where it's going to end up going~**

**MissJenca****: Everyone needs hugs, they makes everything feel less crappy.**

**9momentos****: I know, it's going to be interesting to see when the penny finally drops XP**

**Horizon-Dawn****: Yes he will, but not at the moment. He'll get his tattoo later.**


	6. Chapter 6 (Or 5 part 2)

**A/N: Hey everyone! As of last chapter this story has over 50 reviews (**_**ohmygodwhereareyoupeoplecomingfrom?!)**_** and it is my most reviewed story! Thank you so much for all your support guys, you're all amazing! Due to this I'm thinking about making a bonus chapter for next chapter which will be cute scenes from Luffy's childhood. Is that good for you guys?**

**Answers to reviews are at the bottom of the page like always~ Also, if you can guess what Sabo has figured out at the end of this chapter I will include a scene of your choice in the bonus chapter~ Last week's winner was ****PirateDragons121 who has given me an amazing idea so look out for it in later chapters!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece...:(**

Ace felt a thrill of excitement run through his body, sharing a quick grin with Sabo before focusing his attention back on the waves lapping against the hull of their small landing boat. Well, small compared to the size of the Moby Dick. Their simple cartel was being piloted by Sabo and Namur whilst he and Marco were on look out: Marco from the air in his phoenix form (something Ace would never admit to admiring) and Ace from the deck while Joshua, Ryan, and Sara from the second division made sure the rest of the ship was functioning properly. They had also brought along Ace's old first mate, Makou, who was now part of the tenth division like most of the old spade pirates. He had been brought along just in case Ace did anything stupid. It was bad enough he had Sabo for a babysitter, he didn't need two; he wasn't Luffy!

"So Ace, any clue where we're going or is that up to Sabo and Commander Namur?" asked Makou from where he was leaning on the railings.

"Pops wants us to check out a disturbance on one of his Islands" Ace explained, leaning over the railings in order to catch a glimpse of the fast approaching island.

It rose out of the sea on the horizon like a green fountain. He could already see the lush, tall green trees that covered what looked like a small mountain from the distance. He had no doubt that when they were actually on the island it would be taller than Mt. Corvo. The thought made him feel slightly homesick for the jungle of their home island and for the only mother figure he had ever known. He briefly entertained the notion of sending her a letter, deciding to think more on it when they got back to the ship.

"Apparently the villagers are worried about a pirate crew nearby. We've got to check this out, see if the pirate ship is a threat, and what it wants, docking so close to one of Pops' territories."

Makou made a noise of comprehension before being called off by Sara to help her with a problem she had found below deck. Ace stared at the steadily approaching horizon, humming under his breath as he tried to keep his nerves from getting the best of him. This was the first mission he'd do as a Whitebeard pirate and he certainly wasn't going to screw it up. For that, he had to stay calm and not let his fire react to every little change in emotion he had.

"I didn't know you knew Bink's Sake, yoi." commented a familiar voice from behind him, making Ace jump out of his contemplations and turn around with a sheepish grin. He hadn't noticed the phoenix come back, let alone notice him transform back into Pineapple mode.

"Luffy taught us it." He explained with a grin, thinking back to when they had first taught the Spade Pirates the old sea shanty and all the nights they spent drinking and singing under the stars when they had first reached the Grand Line.

"Luffy teaches you a lot of songs, yoi." Marco observed, a mild curiosity entering his eyes.

Ace nodded in agreement, a soft smile playing on his lips. That smile made his entire face seem softer, warm contentment flickering in his eyes. It was amazing to behold; how just the thought of his baby brother could calm the fire user down and put an almost paternal look on his face.

"He learned most of them from Shanks though."

As soon as he mentioned that name the entire atmosphere seemed to freeze. Looking around curiously, Ace noticed the closed off look that now masked his new brother's face (and that was damn weird to think about; he wasn't the eldest anymore!).

Without so much as an explanation Marco transformed back into a bird with a burst of blue fire that leapt out and caressed Ace's bare skin as he soared past him, flying high into the sky again without even a single sound save for the crackle of fire and the beat of his wings. Ace stared after him for a few minutes, baffled. What had he said that upset Marco so much? Or was Marco angry with him, or even Luffy, for admiring another Yonko? It would kind of make sense; there was no way that Marco could have not heard of Shanks, if he hadn't at least met him already.

A slow chuckle broke him out of his thoughts for the second time that day, making him turn to face the weathered face of Ryan, soft brown eyes twinkling in good humour as he gazed after the first division commander.

"Commander Marco doesn't much like Red Hair Shanks." he explained with a merry laugh, the lines around his eyes deepening as he smiled. "There are few on our ship that do."

"Why?" asked Ace, curious as to what could possibly make them dislike Shanks. From what Luffy had told him he seemed like an alright bloke (he may have to re-evaluate his source though as Luffy used to worship Shanks when they were younger).

"It nothing against him personally" Ryan explained with a hasty surrendering motion of his hands. "Well, maybe it is as far as Commander Marco is concerned, but most of us don't have a problem with his personality. He's a good man, and he certainly has good taste in booze but still, there are a lot of us who remember what he was like as a teenager so we ere on the side of caution around him."

At Ace's confused look Ryan knew he would have to explain a little better.

"We knew Shanks back when he was a cabin boy and he was a menace even back then; very similar to Luffy in that respect." Ryan smiled as Ace started to laugh, no doubt agreeing with him that though Luffy was a lovable idiot he was also a menace to have around (especially as far as the kitchen staff were concerned). "Also when he returned to the Grand Line after forming the Red Hair Pirates he didn't recognise Commander Marco and tried to recruit him to be part of his crew."

"Bet Marco loved that" chuckled Ace, grinning so broadly Ryan was surprised his face hadn't split. What Ryan didn't know was that Ace was mentally comparing what he had heard about a young Shanks with how he knew Luffy would act. It amused him to no end to find how similar the two were, no wonder Shanks had all but adopted Luffy; he was practically a black haired mini-me judging by these stories.

Ryan sniggered quietly.

"The best bit is that Shanks still insists on Commander Marco joining his crew; it's sort of become a running joke with all of us. So if you your life, or at least your say in what chores you do, then don't mention Red Hair too much around Commander Marco."

With that helpful piece of advice Ryan ruffled Ace's hair before returning to stare out at the ever approaching horizon. Ace found himself with wondering thoughts as he carried out his duties automatically, finding more of his time occupied with wondering about Shanks than with thoughts relative to the mission. He supposed that there was little to no chance of him or Sabo meeting Luffy's hero now, seeing as he wasn't exactly the most welcome aboard the Moby Dick. He probably should be glad about that as well though, knowing that Luffy promised the next time he'd meet Shanks would be when he was a great pirate (and while Luffy could now put some power behind his punches he still couldn't aim for all the meat in the world).

It was only when they were roughly ten minutes away from docking that Marco came back. Unfortunately for him, Ace had several questions to ask about this mission as his nerves had started up again the closer they got to the island.

"So Marco, why exactly did Pops want you to take us along with you?" Ace asked, peering at the now human Marco. This was a question he had been dwelling on since he was told to go on this mission; they were so new to the crew. Sure they'd been living with them for a few months now but they only really got their marks yesterday.

"He wanted you to get some experience, yoi." Marco explained with a patient smile, watching the docks get closer and closer, seeing Sara and Makou preparing to cast on to the jetty. "Seeing as you're so new, he wants you to learn how we operate."

"Why didn't you tell Luffy to come with us then?"

"With how protective you two are of him, do you really want him to come on a potentially hostile mission?"

Ace conceded that he had a point. They weren't sure if whoever was causing the islanders to worry was a hostile person with ill intent towards the Whitebeards. He hoped that wasn't the case. While Ace loved to fight, he also didn't want any place under his new father's protection to be harmed. And things tended to catch fire whenever he was on a battlefield.

"Marco?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you expected Sabo and I to do? Sabo's better at gathering information than I am but we can both be stealthy when we need to be. I'm guessing you don't want these unknown pirates knowing we're investigating?"

"No we don't, yoi. We need to be quiet, and we can't draw too much attention to ourselves which means you can't go around picking fights with anyone, yoi."

Ace nodded his head to show he understood before gesturing Sabo over to him. The only other blonde on the ship bid a polite good-bye to Namur before heading over to stand by his brother's side, both of them ready to jump off the ship and onto dry land as soon as possible. They had been at sea for a long few months and they couldn't wait to get back on dry land again.

"So, sneak around, gather information, try not to beat anyone up, and then regroup at the local pub for dinner?" Sabo suggested with an easy grin, jumping up onto the railings and facing Marco as Ace took a leap off the rails, rolling as he landed on the wooden planks of the jetty so as not to hurt himself.

Marco smiled and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, yoi."

With that seal of approval Sabo jumped backwards from the railings, landing in a crouch before sprinting with Ace down the pier to the shore, racing each other as they enjoyed the freedom that always came with a new island.

"You're such a show-off sometimes" Ace teased his brother, laughing as they slowed down in one of the streets of the quiet seaside town. Sabo merely laughed along with him, nodding his head to show he knew.

The two brothers made their way through the cheery cobbled streets, drinking in the sites like it was their first time seeing civilisation: Laughter rung through the old houses, bouncing off the whitewashed walls as they passed. The rush and crash of the waves filled their ears no matter where they went in the town, the familiar sent of sea salt always there like a key to their home. Despite the clear joy and happiness in such a peaceful place there was still an undercurrent of something darker; fear, anger, helplessness. This little lazy town that reminded the boys so much of Foosha Village was terrified by these unknown pirates and it was making Ace angrier by the second.

With a sigh, Sabo dragged him into the nearest alley, laying his hand on his shoulder to try and get him to calm down.

"Ace we're going to help these people. We're going to find out who these pirates are, what they want, and how to get rid of them. But we can't do that if you're going to burn the place down." Sabo stressed, squeezing Ace's shoulder to encourage him to help. "So what do you say we go to the nearest market and try to find out some things, yeah?"

Huffing, Ace agreed, fixing his hat so it blocked out the midday sun and in an attempt to hide his pouting face from his brother. Sabo just chuckled as his brother's behaviour before leading the way out of the alley and along the streets, following his nose to the scent of meat being barbequed. The smell of food had never led him wrong before after all.

They emerged out into an open air market place, lined with little shops and filled with bustling people. There were stalls selling fish of the freshest quality, cheese that hurt his nose to go near, jewellery that glittered and sparkled in the bright sunshine. There were stalls selling meats and fine wines, fabric that pooled and flowed over the counters like multicoloured rivers, and many fine garments. There was even a hat stall! The smell of good food permeated the air, enticing them over to a stall where a rotund man was haggling with the salesman, a piece of meat already dangling from his mouth. The man glanced at the two of them with a grin before departing from the stall, a bag of what they could only assume was more food, clutched in his arms.

"Tricky customer?" asked Sabo with a grin, looking over the food on display, subtly kicking Ace to try and get him to stop drooling. Ace straightened with an embarrassed smile before focusing back on the food, mindful of his manners now.

The old salesman nodded with a sigh.

"He certainly didn't take no for an answer. Now, what can I get two strapping young lads like yourselves, hmm?"

Sabo let out a breezy laugh, smiling his most charming smile towards the old man.

"Do you have anything that can satisfy a bottomless pit?"

The old man laughed along with him as Ace pouted; he wasn't that bad! Again, he wasn't his youngest brother.

"I'll see what I have lad."

They spent the next few minutes hanging out by the stall, attracting many stares from the local people that went about their business.

"Excuse me sir, but you wouldn't happen to know why we're being stared at, would you?" Sabo inquired after the fifth woman did a double take when she saw them. They knew they were quite recognisable due to their bounties but they didn't think they'd be that well known in the New World yet. The Navy certainly hadn't cottoned on to the fact they had been with Whitebeard the whole time, something he was immensely thankful for.

The old man smiled at them, bringing out a large platter of meat, coated in a sticky brown sauce that smelled amazing.

"Two attractive young lads walking down the street? No, I've no idea at all at why they might be stared at; especially seeing as one of them has no qualm about walking around without a shirt on."

The salesman laughed heartily as his words caused a bright blush to appear on Sabo's face and caused Ace to duck his head in embarrassment. Sabo tried to stammer out a response but the old man cut him off, packing the meat into a box for them as he continued to speak.

"I think it's that, and the fact you're from Old Man Whitebeard's crew. I'm assuming you're here because Whitebeard heard about our troubles and has sent you to investigate."

Sabo smiled gently at him, nodding his head to show he had guessed correctly. The salesman nodded seriously before leaning over the counter to hand him the large box and whispering to him as he did. Sabo nodded seriously to show he understood before turning back to Ace with a sunny smile and a chirpy "let's go", waving good-bye to the salesman while thanking him for the meat.

"What was all that about?" asked Ace when they were finally alone, sitting on the stone wall separating the town from the sea. Sabo carefully handed Ace a piece of the still hot meat, chewing on his own slice as he looked around to make sure they were really alone.

"...He gave us directions. He couldn't outright tell us who they were or where they were so he was giving me directions when he passed the meat over; that's why it was on the house."

"So you know where these guys are then?" Ace asked, leaning back slightly as he chewed on his piece thoughtfully. It was really good, he might have to go back later and get some to take back to Luffy.

"Yeah...Now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do we do with the information?" he turned to look at his brother, getting frustrated when he was met with a blank expression. "Do we act on the information now, or wait until we regroup with the others and tell them what we know?"

Ace made a thoughtful noise as he stared into the sky. Absentmindedly he noticed two seagulls flying together through the pale blue sky. As he watched them, another joined them; circling around the two before following them as they soared off. If Sabo noticed his lapse in concentration he didn't comment on it, just stared at Ace with searching eyes, wanting a second opinion on what they should do.

"...I don't feel right about waiting." Ace confided after a few minutes. "We came here to help these people and I want to help them as soon as possible. This place reminds me too much of Foosha to stay here longer than is necessary. At the same time, we were brought on this mission to learn how Whitebeard Pirates operate and I'm pretty sure there is a chain of command that we now have to follow."

"...So we're acting now?"

"Heck yeah we are"

XXXX Line Break XXXX

Acting on the information it seemed, was not a good idea after all. After spending at least an hour stumbling along in the jungle (no they were not slacking off to play jungle tag, whatever gave you that idea?) they came across someone who appeared to be some kind of sentry. If that was what he was supposed to be; he wasn't a very good lookout. Ace could think of twelve ways he could have incapacitated him already and he was sure Sabo knew even more than that. There was laziness and then there was just carelessness.

Sabo made a signal for him to stay back in the shadows before he moved out into the light. They had done this many times before; due to Sabo's blonde hair he was more easily noticed in the shadows than Ace or Luffy and so he often gave their enemy something to focus on while his brothers attacked from the sides or from behind. The setting sun filtered through the dense treetops, casting an unearthly glow around Sabo as he approached the sentry, who had dropped his gun and gapped at the blonde teenager that was walking his way.

"Hello." Sabo greeted with a cordial smile that did nothing to hide the frostiness in his eyes. "Do you know where I can find someone around here? I'm dreadfully lost. You're captain should be sufficient."

With that said, Ace jumped out of the shadows from behind the sentry, wrapped his arm around his biceps to restrain the man's arms and pressed his knife to his neck; not enough to make him bleed but enough to make him nervous.

"What are you doing on Pops' island?" he hissed into the taller man's ear, glaring at him when he refused to speak.

Sabo came forward with a smirk on his face.

"If you tell us, it will avoid a trip to your captain. Unless of course you want to harm the islanders; then we're going to see your captain regardless of what you say"

The sentry glared at the blonde teenager, seeming to beat himself up for letting his guard down so easily.

'Should have thought of that earlier.' Ace smirked in his mind, encouraging the man to speak by digging his knife a little bit closer to the man's jugular.

"You don't know who you're messing with you brat." The sentry replied, venom dripping from his eyes before melting to shock and rage when all Sabo did was laugh. The shadows that danced across his face made his eyes appear to glow in the ever increasing darkness. A look of dark humour flashed across his face as he reached out and pet the cheek of their captive. Even though Ace knew it was an act, seeing his brother like this always scared the hell out of him and made him appreciate how bad having Sabo as an enemy would be. Ruthless, cunning, and manipulative were the three best words to use when Sabo got like this.

"And you've obviously forgotten whose turf you're on Mr. Sentry" he replied in a soft voice that cut through the gloom like a shard of ice. "Now, why don't you inform us of who we're dealing with if you actually want to stand even the slightest chance of intimidating us?"

The sentry leaned forward (as much as he could without decapitating himself), relish in his grin as he spoke the name of his captain, one of the most feared men in all the Grand Line.

"Red Hair Shanks"

...

..

.

Whatever reaction he was hoping for, he didn't get. What he was probably expecting was for the two teenage boys to let him go, apologizing and begging for their lives (yeah right). What he actually got was two blinding grins and two teenage boys latching onto him, demanding he take them back to his captain. He was so shocked that by the time he realised that he had given in to their demands they were already in sight of his crew and, more importantly, his captain.

The captain of the Red Hair Pirates surveyed the three of them over his tankard of what seemed to be rum, taking in the pale face of his crewmate, eyes scanning the barely there line of a knife wound along his neck, and finally drinking in the two teenagers that hung off either side of his man. Carefully he got up off the log he had been using as a seat, never taking his eyes off the two boys as he rested his one remaining hand on the hilt of his sabre.

"So, who are the brats you've picked up Akio?" he asked, grinning slightly in welcome. He hadn't sensed any hostile intent from them and Akio didn't seem like he was harmed, just confused and slightly bewildered. The two teenagers traded a glance before they stepped forward together standing directly in front of him and staring into his eyes, assessing him almost.

"You're Red-Haired Shanks?" asked the raven haired boy, peering at him cautiously. There was something about those eyes and those freckles that sent alarm bells ringing in his head, but he ignored it in favour of replying to the boy.

"That's right. Are you two the Whitebeard brats that were seen by Lucky Roo earlier today?"

Both boys eyes flickered towards his more rounded crewmate, sitting by the fire with a leg of meat in one hand and nodded, recognition filling their eyes.

"I'm guessing you're here to chase me away from the Old Geezer's island?" he asked, grinning slightly at the slightly annoyed look the raven haired brat sent his way. The blonde boy stepped forward however, before he could tease the other boy anymore.

"Originally that was our goal, yes. But when we heard it was you we decided to meet with you for another reason."

Shanks raised an eyebrow, curious. What could they be here for if it wasn't to try and get rid of him? He was even more baffled when they both bowed low at the waist in a sign of absolute gratitude and respect. He quickly threw an S.O.S towards Benn before turning back to the brats with a befuddled expression. They still hadn't risen from their bows.

"Thank you." they choked out. "Thank you for saving our baby brother."

Shanks stared at them both before breaking out into a hearty laugh. Who knew Luffy (and it could only be Luffy) had brothers?

"Dahahaha, you're Luffy's brothers?" he asked in delight as he made motioned for his crew to make space for the two boys, gesturing for Yassop to pour them both a drink. They smiled hesitantly, accepting the rum with gracious nods before turning back to Shanks with excited eyes.

"Yeah, I'm Ace and this is Sabo. We've heard a lot about you from Luffy." The raven haired teen explained with a grin reminiscent of his little brother's. Shanks really missed seeing that grin.

"Really? So the little Anchor told you about me?" he asked, eager as a child to be told about Luffy. How long had it been since he'd seen that kid? Oh yeah, it had been two thousand, four hundred, and sixty-four days since he last saw Luffy (he had counted every single one of them...damn he missed that kid).

"Yeah" laughed Sabo, taking a swig of rum to be polite. It wasn't actually that bad. "He would always talk about all the stories you'd tell him and all the things you did to tease him."

All the pirates laughed along with the brothers, remembering fondly the year they spent with a lonely little boy that had stolen all their hearts and wrapped them tightly around his little finger.

"How's he doing?"

"Does he still suck at drawing?"

"How has his control over his devil fruit gotten?"

"He's not stabbing himself anymore, is he?"

The crew were a clamour of questions, firing so many off that Sabo let out a piercing whistle to get them to quieten down.

"He's doing fine, you can distinguish his elephants from his squirrels, he's gotten a lot more control over it but still can't aim," he rattled off, marking with his fingers when he had answered a question before they both blinked in confusion when they heard the last one. As one they let out a horrified yell, running to the crewmember who asked that and shaking him roughly by the shoulders.

"What do you mean Lu stabbed himself?"

Shanks doubled over laughing, recalling that day with a fond smile.

"He never told you how he got that scar under his eye did he?"

At their blank expression he started to tell them all about that day, reminiscing with a fond smile how stupid Luffy was and how he had given most of the crew heart attacks with that stunt. Ah, good times. Well, they might have been for him but two brothers looked very close to screaming. Sabo had gone bone white, muttering about how he was never letting Luffy near knives again whilst Ace was up on his feet, pacing around the fire and pulling at his hair, cursing violently under his breath about how much he was going to kill the little idiot.

Shanks watched them both with a laugh, remembering how he had been stuck between wanting to smother Luffy so he would never be hurt again or ringing his neck for being such an idiot in the first place.

"Anything else we should know about our brother?" Sabo managed to get out in a strangled voice, looking at Shanks like he was the angel of doom itself. Some of the crew members groaned at that while others laughed. Little did they know they would be groaning too by the end of the night. With a smile full of glee Shanks launched into a tale about the entire year he spent with his little Anchor, love, pride, and happiness flowing off his tongue as he spoke, wrapping around the brothers of his special little boy, included them in his love as they to shared stories about a rubber-brained, straw-hat wearing boy that wormed his way into their hearts and was there to stay.

All three of them talked for hours, well through the night and into the morning. Sabo and Ace were barely keeping their eyes open as they recounted Luffy's first successful hunt that ended in the Tiger Lord stealing his dinner. Just as they were about to explain about the Tiger Lord Ace head dropped and he was out like a light, snoring softly on his new pillow that was Shanks' shoulder. Sabo chuckled softly and sent an apologetic look towards Shanks.

"Ace has norcolepsy." He explained in a hushed tone. "It means he-"

"-he falls asleep unexpectedly. I know" confided Shanks with a secret smile. "It only gets worse when they're physically tired too." At Sabo's inquisitive look he explained. "My captain had it."

Sabo made a noise of understanding,

"The one who gave you his hat and taught you the lullaby about the sea and kings?" he asked, barely suppressing a yawn with one hand. He was so tired he didn't object when Shanks covered him in his cape and allowed him to rest his head on his leg.

"Yup, that's the one. Captain Roger did a lot for me, and Luffy reminded me so much of him that day that I had to give him his hat." He revealed, missing the widening of Sabo's eyes as he gazed at the dawn light splitting the sky. "Now get some sleep blondie, you look like you need it."

As gentle fingers combed through his hair, the last conscious thought Sabo had was wondering if he had met Luffy sooner would he have also found a father figure in this man? A man who had already done far more for him than his real parents in just one day of knowing him. Unknown to Sabo a forbidden tear slowly trailed down his face, catching in the early morning rays. Shanks carefully wiped it off, looking down at the two teenagers as he felt his heart swell in a very familiar way.

"Luffy and his brothers have you wrapped around their little fingers, haven't they Captain?" whispered Benn, a steady, smug smile across his face.

Shanks chuckled softly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping teenagers.

"That they have old friend. And I never want them to let go."

**A/N: And then Mama Pineapple finds them and blows a gasket~ So yeah, this is technically the end of chapter 5! R&R Please~**

**TheCaptainOfShips****-...more Shanks you say...hehehehe...**

**Little Lady Slytherin****- *jazz hands* Update has arrived~**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan****- He is the most adorable thing, and as long as you're a Whitebeard Pirate it's all okay~**

**Guest****- I'm glad you find it funny~ I try and update every Wednesday so you should always see an update from me on those days, okay?**

**JadeOccelot****- They're not going to really appear in this story apart from some hints. There is a pretty obvious one that involves Sabo coming up but it's a pretty crack ship so have fun trying to work out what it is~**

**MissJenca****- Yay! All the hugs! Extra hugs to Mama Pineapple!**

**Little Bookwyrm****- ...That is an excellent point...How come no-one does notice that? O-o**

**kickassdani****- I'm so glad so many of you are finding it funny. I try to update every Wednesday so look out for them!**

**Pana-sule****- I'm glad you liked it so much!**

**PirateDragons121****- you're ideas were awesome and they have been officially written in to the plot, look forward to the next few chapters~**

**piratehnter****- Here's another update for you~ And I hope you enjoyed al the Shanks love in this chapter!**

**MegDBrew****-Oh there will be a lot of that coming up, especially in a chapter I have scheduled for after Christmas but I won't give any more away apart from that~**

**JoshRand1982****- Oh don't worry, there is going to be a lot of confusion, and a lot of WTF moments in that chapter~**

**animesarecool****- ****Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it.**


	7. Bonus Chapter: Shanks Arrives

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is the bonus chapter that was promised for reaching over 50 reviews! (Where are you all coming from? I don't understand!) **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed in response to the competition but ****Olympian-King ****was the closest so you have them to thank for a section of this chapter~**

**Responses to reviews are down at the bottom, sorry you're having to wait for Marco's reactions~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

It was not an unusual sight to see a little ball of sunshine flying down the main road of Foosha Village. It was especially not unusual to see it disappear into the Party Bar. Though since the pirates came a few days ago, some of the adults of Foosha Village were apprehensive to say the least about letting little Monkey D. Luffy anywhere near the Party Bar for the time being. However, even if they did try to stop the little boy they would have no doubt been met with the most powerful weapon in the world; Luffy's puppy dog eyes.

Makino knew the power of Luffy's puppy dog eyes better than anyone and while she may have been his caretaker for a lot of his short life it didn't mean she had built up an immunity for them. She supposed it might have been a good idea to warn the red haired pirate captain about the danger that Luffy could unleash but had decided against it; the tales Luffy managed to drag out of the man were incredible and he certainly was a good story teller.

It always brightened her day when Luffy would come and sit at the bar, talking to her. He was such a sweet child that it was hard not to get attached to him. That's why she dreaded the darkening skies when she'd have to send him back to the house that could never be called a home. It broke her heart everytime to do so.

"Luffy, it's getting late" whispered Makino to the yawning six year old. "Go home. I'll come and tuck you in when I close up if you want."

Luffy smiled sleepily up at her, though Shanks thought his eyes looked a little too sad and lonely for the smile to be genuine. He had started to wonder when Luffy's parents would be expecting him back; it wasn't normal for a six year old to spend most of his day at a bar...at least, Shanks didn't think it was.

"Why don't I go with him?" He suggested, smiling reassuringly when Makino flashed him a worried look. "I'll make sure he gets back home safe and sound."

Luffy stuck his tongue out and pouted, not wanting to be babied by a real-life pirate.

"I can get home on my own. I always do."

Shanks frowned slightly at that. Did that mean his parents never came to get him? He shrugged off the thought and got up, clutching the bar when his head swam. He must have drunk more than he thought he did if he was starting to get tipsy. He flashed a wide grin at Luffy before starting towards the doors, waiting for Luffy to hug Makino goodbye before running to his side and leading him out the bar and into the starry night. Thankfully the East Blue had a warm climate otherwise they would have frozen in the calm March night.

He gazed up into the sky, counting the many constellations he could see as he waited for Luffy to start off down the road so he could follow him.

"Did you know about the Warrior who lives in the sky?" he asked Luffy in the still silence of the night. The look of awe he got was enough to make him grin; obviously the child had taken him seriously.

With a boisterous laugh he picked up the child, resulting in a squeal, and settled him on his shoulders, feeling Luffy wrap his tiny arms around his hat. Now that Luffy was settled on his shoulders he heard his quiet giggling clear as the night sky above them.

"The Warrior is constantly moving because there's a giant Scorpion that's chasing him across the sky. If you look straight up now you'll be able to see the Warrior."

He felt Luffy shift as he struggled to find the constellation.

"Where? I don't see anything."

"He's made of stars Luffy. Look for his belt, that's an easy way to find him."

After a few minutes of walking down the main road Shanks felt a tug on his hair followed by an excited laugh.

"I found him Shanks! He's right up there!"

Shanks followed with his eyes the finger he could barely see, followed the way it traced across the sky above them, tracing the outline of the warrior made of stars.

"But why isn't he moving?" pouted Luffy, settling down and resting his head on top of Shanks' hat.

"He must be resting." Shanks explained with a gentle smile, carrying on with his little tale. If Luffy was this gullible he was going to have a lot of fun with the stories he could tell him. "He can't run forever after all. Maybe he's lost the Scorpion for now and is getting his breath back?"

"That makes sense" exclaimed Luffy with a wise nod of his head, causing Shanks to laugh loudly into the night. This kid was far too entertaining.

"Are there any more people in the sky?" Luffy asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Shanks tried to look at him, only to see him peering curiously at him over the rim of his hat.

"Of course there are. There are star people and sky people. Be very careful to know the difference though."

"Why?"

"Because the sky people can send bad weather to attack your ship if you say their star people." Shanks explained with a crooked smile as Luffy absorbed this like it was the answer to one of life's greatest mysterious.

"Shanks?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me more about the star people."

Shanks laughed at his request before obliging the little boy, explaining the stories behind every constellation he could spot, slipping in his own little anecdotes to which Luffy would laugh and make up his own stories too while giving Shanks directions to his house. The closer they seemed to get to the house, the more subdued Luffy became; falling silent as they stopped outside the dark house he had to return to every night.

It would have been a nice house to look at in the day time. It had two stories of whitewashed walls and a brown tiled roof. The doors and windows were painted a pale blue that was barely visible in the gloom. Flowers sprung up from window beds. It would have been a very cheery house...but the windows were dark. The borders of the panes loomed out the shadows like bars of a prison cell. There was no sign of life coming from the house, even the flowers looked sad and dejected. Shanks would have thought no-one lived there, and hadn't for a very long time if it wasn't for the six year old boy trying to climb down from his shoulders.

He followed the child to the door, frowning as he walked through the already unlocked door. Were his parents out? It was unlikely. If the parents were out they would have most likely been at the Party Bar and he wouldn't have needed to come with Luffy to begin with. Now that he was staring at the empty hallway he was trying to squash down the urge to grab Luffy and run back to the Red Force and never let him leave.

Shanks knelt down beside the child and turned him so he could look into his eyes. Being inside the house had turned his eyes from bright curious gems into lonely pools of darkened obsidian. This house was crushing him.

"Luffy, where are your parents?" he asked quietly, resisting the temptation to hug the life out of the lonely little boy in front of him.

"...don't have any..." he mumbled, staring back at him with empty eyes. "...just got Gramps..."

"And where is your grandpa?"

Luffy just shrugged with a confused expression on his face. It was obvious that wherever Luffy's grandfather was, he hadn't told the little boy he was leaving behind. Shanks gave into the urge and crushed Luffy against his chest in a suffocating hug. He couldn't understand why anyone would leave their child behind. Yassop had done the same thing but he at least tried to keep in contact with his wife, wanting to learn more about his son. Shanks doubted Luffy's grandfather cared enough to try and learn about him if he was leaving him alone in this crushing house that reeked of loneliness.

When he felt Luffy's fingers clutch tightly at his shirt he carefully scooped him up in his arms, paying no attention to the surprise he felt when Luffy just clung to him tighter, and cautiously moved deeper into the house. With every shadow filled room his heart ached for the boys in his arms before he finally found the room he was looking for.

Luffy's room was the only one Shanks didn't want to burn when he first set eyes on it. It was a cheery yellow with a large pirate flag hung on the wall. It was spacious and clean almost to the point of being empty. Shanks crossed over to the bed and gently set the child down on top of the covers, sitting down beside him and carding his fingers through his hair gently, humming an old lullaby under his breath. When Luffy turned wide, confused eyes on him, Shanks started to sing softly. As he sang Luffy's eyes began to droop, his grip slackening until he was sleeping softly. Shanks carefully tucked him under the covers, sitting down at the desk chair beside the bed as he finished his song. It was times like this he missed his old captain the most. What would Roger have done if he had found Luffy?

'Probably kidnap him and take him to sea after much scolding from Rayleigh-san' he reflected with a soft chuckle. Light footsteps alerted him to the fact they were no longer alone as he looked up to see Makino's tender smile directed towards the both of them.

Letting out an embarrassed laugh he turned to look at the sleeping child, ignoring the bar tender's gentle laugh as she came forward and kissed the slumbering child's forehead.

The week after Shanks and Luffy were closer than ever. Sure, the red haired man had to wave away the questions of curious crewmates and ignore the knowing smirk Benn had sent his way everytime he returned to the Red Force in the morning after spending the night by Luffy's side. Sue him for being worried about the kid.

Ever since he had started to keep him company, Luffy had opened up to him in a way he didn't think possible. While Luffy was still smiling and laughing, and still great fun to tease, a cautiousness that he had when he first met the Red Hair Pirates had completed evaporated now. He now roamed through the hoards of pirates with a carefree grin and eager eyes, begging for a story from anyone who would listen. YasoPp was one of the first to volunteer stories, bragging about the son he had never met and explaining what great adventures he imagined his son would have one day.

Luffy drank in all their stories, every one seeming to make him glow a little bit brighter or smile a little bit wider. These stories were keeping Luffy entertained and with these stories came new revelations to who Luffy was in the eyes of the visiting pirates and, more importantly, who he was becoming to them.

And no-one could see the bonds forming between Luffy and the crew clearer than Benn Beckman. He watched as his captain willingly put down his rum to go play with child on the beach, being beaten at sandcastle making by YasoPp, having an eating contest with Lucky Roo, even sitting with Benn himself and listening to stories of sea battles and islands of strange creatures and wonderful plants. This child was quickly becoming family to the pirates and Benn both loved and hated this. But he would hold his tongue as he watched his captain grin up at the boy on his shoulders, looking like a proud father as they walked along the beach; who was he to ruin the fun when it was just beginning?

Luffy was having a wonderful time. The pirates were everything he ever hoped they would be; brave, funny, kind. He really didn't understand why Gramps would say pirates were evil when they were so nice to everyone in the village. He chattered happily away as he led Shanks towards the rock pools that were a little way away from the docks. He had promised to show Luffy what creatures from the pools were edible and which were not.

They spent most of the day beside the pools, Luffy trying hard to understand the different kinds of seaweed and Shanks soaking him everytime he got it wrong. He didn't mind, it was a lot of fun.

He was still laughing as he sat down in the sand, trying to get the slimy seaweed out of his hair.

"This is a lot more fun than the training Gramps makes me do." He giggled, finally getting a hold of the last of the green threads and chucking them in Shanks' face. All that did was earn him a laugh and a very sore head from where the pirate had rapped his knuckles against his forehead.

"Oh really?" Shanks enquired with a teasing grin "What does he make you do then?"

"Throws me in the jungle and makes me fight monkeys" replied Luffy, shivering as he thought about it. Those monkeys were mean, and strong. He really hoped that the next time his grandpa came he wouldn't be thrown to the monkeys. He'd rather be forced to try and swim again.

"Really?" Shanks asked, an ugly look in his eyes that didn't match the smile on his face. "Why would he make you do that?"

"Says it's training for the marines." Luffy explained with a grimace. "I don't want to be a marine. I don't want to fight any more monkeys."

His reply drew a startled laugh from the red haired pirate as he leaned back against the sand, basking in the afternoon sun.

"Marines don't just fight monkeys kid. They try and keep justice and try to keep the law. Most of them are good people. I'm sure your...grandfather...just wants you to grow up to be a good person."

"But you're good people, and you're not marines." Luffy pointed out with a grin, sure he had beaten Shanks in this argument. He was not expecting a solemn look to cross his idols face.

"Are we good people? I'm flattered you think that but we're still pirates. Marines exist to protect people from us."

"I don't believe that." refuted Luffy, stubbornly. "You're nice and you haven't done anything to harm the villagers. You're the proper kind of pirate."

"Proper kind?"

"Yep. The ones who go to sea for adventure. YasoPp told me you guys want adventure. That's what I want too. If I became a marine, I'd have no freedom; that's why I want to be a pirate." Luffy finished his explanation with a grin, sitting up to face Shanks with sparkling eyes "So take me out to sea with you!"

"No way kid, you'd sink like an anchor." Shanks replied, sticking his tongue out at Luffy and winking. Ignoring the pout that was being sent his way he carefully got to his feet, brushing the sand from his clothes as he picked Luffy up with one arm and started back down towards the town. He hadn't had any rum today and Luffy was probably getting hungry again knowing him. It was almost dinner time after all.

But what Luffy had said gave him something to think about. Was it possible to be a pirate and be a good person? Shanks liked to think it was. He liked to think he was a good person but he knew he had done many things that wouldn't be classed as 'good person material'. He also knew that there were some marines who could not be classed as good people in any sense of the words no matter what world you came from.

As he listened to Luffy's chattering he hoped with all his heart that Luffy would never come across the marines that would destroy the world for their 'absolute justice'.

It surprised many of the crew when Makino came out with a large birthday cake on the 5th of May and set it down in front of Luffy, who beamed up at her in absolute happiness before closing his eyes to make a wish.

"You didn't tell us it was your birthday today Anchor." Shanks remarked, pouting at the little boy to hide the stab of hurt he had felt knowing he had deliberately not told the crew this information.

Luffy looked up at him after he had blown his candles out and Makino had taken his cake to be cut.

"Didn't think you wanted to know."

With that curt reply he went back to eagerly anticipating his slice of birthday cake, missing the hurt expression all the pirates in the bar seemed to share.

"Why wouldn't we want to know?" demanded Yasopp from the other side of Luffy, haven chosen to sit with the boy and his captain at the bar for a change.

"It's Children's day." Luffy explained with a shrug, as if that was all the explanation they needed. Well tough luck Luffy, they were going to need more than just a reference to a national holiday to understand why their little friend hadn't said a word about his birthday. Luckily, Makino was on hand to explain further.

As she leant over the bar to refill his glass, she whispered to Shanks:

"Luffy sees Children's day as more important than his own birthday. He doesn't understand that his birthday is special because it falls on a day that would have been celebrated anyway."

Makino gave him a sad look filled with sympathy before kissing the top of Luffy's head and going to refill some of the other men's glasses. Hearing her explanation made Shanks think of an excellent way of getting back at Luffy for not telling them about his birthday. With an excited wave he called Benn over to explain his idea, laughing loudly when all he got was a resigned sigh and a nod of acknowledgment from his first mate. Shanks quickly turned around to start talking to Luffy, revealing a story of one of his own birthdays back when he was a cabin boy on the Oro Jackson and how Buggy had ended up face first in the cake because of a fight gone wrong.

Thankfully the story seemed to grab Luffy's attention long enough for Benn to relay the plan to the rest of the crew and some of them soon left the bar in preparation. After a few minutes of story time (in which Luffy devoured most of his cake, only being stopped by Makino when she told him to save some for after dinner) one of his crewmates came up to him and whispered in his ear. With a large smile Shanks got up from the bar stool, scooped Luffy up in his arms and turned to face the surprised Makino. It made him really pleased that Luffy no longer showed any fear about being picked up and instead he giggled away, struggling around in his grip to try and get onto his idol's shoulders. Shanks extended a hand towards Makino, smiling charmingly at her.

"Will you accompany us rotten pirates, lady who is fairest of all in this bar?" he enquired with a little bow of his head, hoping to make her laugh. His smile broke into a grin when she nodded, a hand pressed to her mouth to try and hold in her giggling. She gently took his hand and allowed herself to be lead by him out of the bar towards the docks, chatting gently with Luffy as all three of them laughed among themselves.

When they got within sight of the Red Force the entire ship was decked out in fairy lights and balloons making Luffy gasp in surprise and wonder.

"Pretty..." he murmured, tilting his head back to stare all around him as Shanks lead them both towards the transformed ship. Little did they know Shanks had got the entire crew to gather up all the villagers who wanted to help and got them all to decorate the ship for the precious little boy's birthday. The villagers had agreed with gusto, wanting Luffy to be able to celebrate his birthday this year without their children interfering.

Shanks carefully set Luffy down on deck, watching with a proud smile as the child spun around in circles with eyes filled with wonder and a grin brighter than any star on his face.

"Happy Birthday Anchor" he whispered quietly, watching as Luffy was mobbed on all side by crew members wanting to play games with him. Shanks watched Luffy enjoy his first game of pin-the-fin-on-the-seaking, be enthralled in a puppet show, and be taught one of the crew's favourite songs: Bink's Sake. It filled him with a fierce joy that he had never experienced before, watching his family play and entertain and celebrate the little boy who had livened up their stay on this island. Shanks doubted they would have stayed for three days if Luffy hadn't been there.

Makino gave him a soft smile as she came to sit beside him after finishing her dance with Lucky Roo.

"Thank you Captain-san...for doing this for him."

"No need to thank me Makino. I want Luffy to celebrate today as much as we do." He raised his glass towards her in a toast before gulping down some of the best sake they had; it was a special occasion after all. They sat back and enjoyed the party, sometimes getting up to dance or play with the rest of the crew but always coming back to rest against the side of the ship. It was only when he had procured a small bottle of some form of liquid did the boy of the night come back to them, sitting in between them both with a large smile on his face.

"What you got there Anchor?" Shanks asked, peering down at the bottle in curiosity.

"Bubbles." Luffy chirped, showing him the bottle with a large grin before opening it up and blowing out a long stream of dancing, transparent orbs that flashed in the multicoloured light from the fairy lights. He giggled happily before springing to his feet and trying to catch them, looking happier than either of them had ever seen him.

Shanks took up the bottle and started to gently blow more bubbles till eventually they were surrounding Luffy, who was laughing his head off in pure delight. Seeing Luffy so happy made Shanks laugh as well, and as if a trigger had been flicked, all around the ship his crewmates were laughing along with the, now seven year old, little boy.

It was only when the night had ended, a round of 'happy birthday' had been sung and Luffy had been tucked away safely in bed by Shanks and Makino did Yasopp come up to his captain with a sly grin and handed him a photo which caused a warm, gentle smile to appear on his face before he showed Makino who giggled happily and asked Yasopp for a copy.

The photo was of the three of them, obviously taken when they had approached the Red Force earlier in the afternoon. The afternoon sun shone brightly on all of them, illumination their smiles and highlighting their joy in being together. They looked like a small, happy family; maybe of fishermen on their way to their boat? There was an ambiguity of their appearance that gave no hint that the 'father' in the photo was a pirate, or that the other two weren't really his wife and son. It was a happy photo, one that Shanks knew he would treasure forever.

A soft giggle brought him out of his musings, looking up from the picture to see Makino look at him with understanding eyes before picking up the bottle of bubbles from the floor where Luffy left them.

"Looks like I have a new nickname for Luffy now." She smiled with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes that made Shanks laugh long and loud into the stillness of the night, filled with elation after a wonderful day of celebration.

"When I become a pirate" Luffy began as he stared into his cup of juice "I want to have lots of adventures."

"Oh really?" yawned Shanks from where he was longing beside him. He had already heard all about Luffy's 'plans' and couldn't wait to see what he would come up with this time.

"Yes." Snapped Luffy with an angry pout. "I'll travel all over the world! I'll even meet the sky people and when I do I'll ask about how they can control the weather and make sure they don't send any bad weather towards my ship."

"You wouldn't need bad weather to doom your ship Bubbles. You sink, remember?"

Luffy flushed an angry red colour and stuck his tongue out at the red haired man beside him. He still didn't understand why Shanks and Makino had started calling him that but it sent warmth through him every time they did; similar to the warmth he felt whenever Shanks called him 'Anchor'. He must be getting sick, he decided. Though maybe it was because it was suddenly getting warmer outside?

"I'll learn how to swim, just you wait! Then me and my crew will swim to the bottom of the ocean and meet all kinds of fish. I bet we'll even meet mermaids." He crossed his arms with a huff, turning away from Shanks as the older man laughed. Why did he have to make fun of him?

"I'm sure you will kid." Shanks yawned before taking another swig of alcohol. It wasn't that he didn't believe Luffy had what it took to be a pirate, quite the contrary really, but his reactions made teasing him far too much fun. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Luffy's face get steadily redder, until he looked like a tomato about to burst. He had just to see Luffy have proper outburst and for some reason he wasn't too keen on that happening today so he quickly stuffed some meat in his mouth as soon as he was about to yell.

"Eat up kid; you can't have adventures on an empty stomach."

Almost at once the red receded back, replaced by a bright smile and a chirpy word of gratitude before the meat was being devoured. Shanks laughed loudly, banging his fist on the bar in front of him as his crewmates joined him in his fit of mirth: Luffy's mood changes were just too funny sometimes!

"I'll prove that I'm brave enough to be a pirate!" Luffy yelled, realising he'd been tricked again.

"I'm sure you will." Chortled Shanks, wiping a tear of laughter from his eyes.

A few days later he was really regretting his choice of words.

"What. Were. You. Thinking?" he forced out through gritted teeth as the doctor finished stitching up the gash under Luffy's eye. He knew in the back of his mind Benn would probably be better at this kind of lecture (Shanks wasn't really the type to lecture anyone seeing as he did more stupid things than anyone else on the Red Force) but it was his teasing that had inadvertently caused this so damn him if he wasn't going to take responsibility for it.

Luffy just stared at him with wide, teary eyes, biting his lip to try and stop the pained whimpers from escaping him. The doctor had told him that Luffy had very almost severed several of his nerves and he was very lucky that he could still see out of that eye though he might have problems with his vision later on in life. More guilt on Shanks' conscience.

With a sigh Shanks gathered up the seven year old into a gentle but firm hug, rubbing his back as the tears finally started.

"...I...I just w-wanted...to be brave...like you..." Luffy sobbed quietly, clutching at Shanks in a way that had become very familiar to them both in the past few months. Another sigh escaped the red head before he could stop it.

"Why did you think stabbing yourself and giving us all heart attacks would prove anything? We're too young to have heart attacks y'know."

"...sorry..." mumbled Luffy, burrowing deeper into Shanks' shirt so he could hear the soothing beat of his heart. It calmed him down to no end, hearing the steady repeating rhythm. It soothed him so much he was almost falling asleep.

Shanks stared down at the little child in his arms and marvelled at how, in the space of a few short months, he had wormed his way so thoroughly into his heart that he was terrified at the idea of leaving the island for good. But he knew he had to soon; the call of the sea was growing stronger every day. But so was his love for the boy in his arms and that's why he knew he couldn't take Luffy with him when he returned to the sea.

Not only was the Grand Line no place for a child, for all Luffy's bravado he wasn't emotionally ready to face the dangers that lay in Paradise let alone in the New World. If he took Luffy with him, he would die for sure...and that idea terrified Shanks almost as much as the news of his old captain's execution had ten years ago.

No, Luffy had to stay here... at least until he was ready to answer the call of the sea by himself.

"Is it really that bad I ate that fruit thingy?"

For once they were not sitting in the Party Bar. Luffy had been rather down after eating their Gomu-Gomu fruit and after three attempts of getting Luffy to react to his questions Shanks got tired and had kidnapped the young troublemaker. That's how they found themselves sitting on the figure head of the grand pirate ship instead of in the bar enjoying lunch. Shanks let out a large sigh, wishing he had brought some alcohol with him. But unfortunately, he needed to be completely sober for this conversation.

"That depends on what you mean by bad."

Luffy hugged his knees to his chest, resting his cheek on them as he stared out at the horizon, avoiding Shanks' concerned gaze.

"...you were mad at me..." he mumbled after a few moments of silence. "...you never normally get mad..."

"You did something that has changed your life forever. I know it was by accident, but it still doesn't change the fact that you can never be the same Luffy you were a few days ago. You're a devil fruit user now and while that may sound awesome there are consequences as well."

Luffy turned to look at him with confused eyes, his brow furrowed in a frown as he tried to understand what he meant.

"But if I get stronger then it's a good thing, right?"

"Yes...and no."

Seeing he had not helped with Luffy's confusion, Shanks tried to elaborate in a way that would make sense to the seven year old.

"You can be strong without a devil fruit just as much as a devil fruit can bolster someones strength. You will have to build up all your strength from scratch and get used to your new body. It can take years to learn how to control a devil fruit but you will be stronger if you train hard, just like a normal human being. Eating a devil fruit just means you can do things no other personal can try to do but with every gain there is a weakness. You have to figure out those weaknesses now that you're a devil fruit user."

A long silence followed this explanation, in fact the silence dragged on for so long Shanks wouldn't have been surprised if Luffy had fallen asleep. But he consoled himself with the sight of Luffy frowning, deep in thought, obviously trying his hardest to understand what Shanks was trying to tell him. It was only when his face had turned red and steam was coming off of him did Shanks start to get concerned that Luffy's mental capacities were stretched to their limits.

"So...I can do things other people can't, but that doesn't mean they're stronger than me?" he asked finally, looking up at Shanks to check if he got it right. The expectancy in his face made Shanks laugh loudly.

"Dahahaha. Almost Anchor, almost. Just because you can do this others can't doesn't mean _you're _stronger than anyone else, got that?"

Luffy nodded happily, grinning brightly up at him. Shanks doubted Luffy really understood, wouldn't understand until he went up against someone and was defeated, but that day was a long way away from now; he had time to learn.

"Shanks?"

"Yeah?"

"What other devil fruits are there?"

Shanks looked down to see Luffy gazing up at him with stars in his eyes. He grinned at his little friend, thinking of some of the more bizarre devil fruits he's seen over the years.

"Didn't I tell you about my friend? The other boy who was on my old ship? He ate a devil fruit and he could take all his limbs off."

"What?" Luffy gasped, shocked. Could a devil fruit really give someone that power?

"Yep" exclaimed Shanks, grinning as Luffy's awed expression encouraged him to continue. "He could send his hands to go steal food from the kitchen and no-one would know it was him. There's also this amazing fruit that turns the user into a bird made of blue fire! I can't remember who ate it though..." he trailed out off with a thoughtful frown, trying to recall who the user of the Mythical Zoan Fruit: Phoenix Model was. He must have met him on a tropical island because all that was coming to mind were pineapples.

"Wow that sounds amazing." Shouted Luffy, staring up into the sky and imagining a great flaming turkey flying across the clouds and lighting up the bay in blue fire. How amazing would that be? Shanks chuckled t his enthusiasm.

"The strongest man in the world is a devil fruit user y'know? He barely uses his fruit though; he's strong enough that he doesn't need it's abilities to win wars."

"Wow, he must be really really really strong! Just like you!"

Shanks doubled over laughing. He knew as he was right then he didn't hold a candle to old Newgate. It made him happy to know how highly Luffy thought of him though.

"If you want strong pirates you just need to look at the warlords. Pirates who work for the government." He explained, noticing the confused look on Luffy's face.

"Why'd they do that?"

"Who knows? Some do it for noble reasons; to protect their homelands from other pirate crews and the government's laws. Others do it because they like power and fighting off bounty hunters was just getting too annoying. Then there's one other who joined just because he was bored."

"He joined because he was bored?" asked Luffy, eyes wide at the thought.

"Yup" said Shanks, popping the 'p' in smug satisfaction. "Hawky's one of the strongest swordsmen on the seas. Most are calling him _the _strongest. He gets bored really easily and he thought he'd have more things to do as a warlord than if he just stayed as he was. It's always important to have a swordsman on your side Luffy." He advised, patting his own sabre fondly. "They're some of the deadliest people on the seas that haven't eaten devil fruits. And those that have; they're really nasty to deal with."

Luffy nodded to show he understood before jumping up with a determined grin.

"I'll have to make sure I have a swordsman in my crew then! And he'll be three times as strong as this Hawky guy."

Shanks laughed loudly at that. A swordsman three times as powerful as Dracule Mihawk? He wished the kid good luck with that search; swordsmen like Mihawk only came around once in a blue moon. His generation was just unlucky it had experienced two blue moons in the same year; Shanks and Mihawk themselves.

"I wish you good luck, you'll seriously need it."

"I will find one!" Luffy exclaimed with a pout, frowning adorably up at him. "I'll have a sniper that even better than Yasopp, and I'll have someone that knows even more than Benn! And we'll go on adventures all over the place; we'll save princesses and fight dragons, we'll even sail to the bottom of the sea and right up into the clouds if we want."

"I'm sure you will Anchor, I'm sure you will."

It was quiet when Shanks returned to his quarters. Too quiet.

He had grown used to going in his room and being tackled by his little ball of sunshine who would then drag him out to play. He had grown used to the sunny smiles that greeted him every morning when Luffy realised he had stayed by his side. Now he would have to get used to not seeing them anymore or at least for a very long time.

He briefly wondered if this was how Yasopp had felt, leaving behind his wife and newborn son but shook off that thought before it was fully formed. Yasopp may miss his son terribly and brag about him at every chance but he didn't have any memories of him that he could hold onto when times were rough at sea. At least Shanks had that.

Maybe that was why he had panicked so much earlier on in the week when that bandit had almost killed Luffy. The idea of never seeing that smile again or hearing his cute little 'Shihihihi' was far more painful than the dull throb of the stump that used to be his arm. Even now, knowing that it would be a long while till he saw his little Anchor again made his heart hurt a little bit more, till he was almost desperate to order the ship to be turned around so he could kidnap the little kid that he loved like a son and bring him out to sea with him to share in his adventures.

Instead of doing that though, Red Hair Shanks walked over to his desk, opened his journal at a new page and wrote:

'_Day 1: ...I'm waiting for you Luffy'_

**A/N: THERE WE GO! That's the end of the bonus chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it, thank you all so much again for your support! R&R!**

**MissJenca****: Nope~ and boy are Ace and Sabo in for a nasty surprise when he realizes~ And Luffy is going to be hiding a lot next chapter from his brothers~**

**Transformers' BABY****: *Throws update towards you***

**Weird-Sunny-Chan****: Aww thank you very much *hugs you back* I'm glad you like it so much, sorry you're going to have to wait for the Mama Marco vs Papa Shanks showdown~**

**thewibblywobblywolf****: sorry I'm making you wait another chapter but I hope you enjoy this one at least!**

**Reira-Layla****: I'm honoured you gave this story a try and I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying it. Also I love your username! Hope you enjoy the new chapter even though it's not Marco's reaction!**

**Little Bookwyrm****: you're going to have to wait for Marco's reactions next chapter but in the mean time; have more feels!**

**Backstage-worker****: Thank you! You got it semi-right. Sabo did realise that Luffy, Shanks and Ace are all connected by Roger but it goes a little deeper than that. Thank you for guessing though!**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan****: Oh don't you worry, Mama Marco is kicking butt and taking names next chapter but you're going to have to wait for it~ **

**Olympian-King****: Thank you for your suggestions, they were a lot of fun to write in. And Marco is never going to get rid of that nickname, ever!**

**Jessica Season****: Kiss to you too! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. A lot of people seem to be looking forward to Garp's introduction but it's still a couple of chapters away~ And you're English is incredibly good, well done.**

**Guest 1****: heh heh, cause a war? Heh heh heh, it's not like Shanks is going to end up going to the Moby Dick and drinking his arse off when he hears what Luffy calls Marco, heh heh, not at all! **

**subaru1999****: I hope this chapter is just as cute!**

**MysticWaterWolf****: Sorry, the fireworks aren't going off in this chapter, it's the next chapter you have to wait for for those to explode ;p**

**JadeOccelot****: Yes and no to the chapter competition. Sabo has figured out the link between Shanks and Roger but he relates it back to his brothers rather than to the Whitebeard pirates. That's all I'm going to say for now~ You won't see a lot of pairings, they're very much in the background so I will be impressed if you can work any out~**

**Little Lady Slytherin****: THANK YOUUUUUU!**

**MegDBrew****: Thank you! As long as you can wait until every Wednesday you'll be okay~**

**animesarecool****: Thanks, I enjoy writing Ace and Sabo a lot XD**

**9momentos****: I hope you're meaning this chapter and not the next XP **

**TheCaptainOfShips****: NAKAMASHIP RULES THE OCEANS!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys sorry if this chapter is a little rushed. Collage has started piling on the work before Christmas and I really wasn't sure if I even wanted to post this chapter because of it. Anyway, sorry in advance everyone.**

**Also, who shares their names with Makino's nicknames for the ASL trio?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

When morning broke fully it greeted our favourite two brothers with headaches and mumbled swearing. Though they hadn't had much alcohol (well, not enough for them to feel it) they didn't get much sleep, having fallen asleep around three hours ago. Sabo had been woken up by a niggling sensation that wormed its way into his conscious; it was a feeling of knowing you had to do something but you didn't. And he couldn't for the life of him remember what it was he was supposed to do.

It was only when they had accompanied the Red Hair Pirates back to the beach to send them off back to the Red Force, and consequently spotted the flaming blue bird in the sky, did he remember what it was he was supposed to do. With a hurried goodbye to the other Yonko's crew (earning several laughs from the crew and hair ruffles from Shanks) they sprinted back along the beach, desperate to get back to town before Marco found a way to barbecue a fire-man and a fire-man's brother.

Needless to say Marco had had a lot of time to come up with plans for their execution.

"Where. Were. You?" he managed to get out through gritted teeth as the brothers finally got their breath back after running half way around the island. Sabo thought he could hear Marco's teeth eroding from where he stood, given the older blonde was clenching them so hard.

The brothers spluttered for a little while, trying to figure out what they could say. They couldn't tell Marco where they had been, that would be suicidal.

"We were...lost! In the forest! We heard some strange noises when we went to investigate it and were chased by this massive hippo for hours. We spent most of the night trying to find our way back here." Sabo lied with a nervous chuckle, Ace nodded enthusiastically behind him. He inwardly winced at how obvious they were being. Normally they could lie quite well but Marco was scaring him slightly seeing as he hadn't stopped glaring since they had arrived.

Marco's disbelief, couple with the disapproving stares of the other four, made them sink into themselves slightly. They weren't going to believe any lie they came up with. Sabo looked to Ace for help but Ace had his own glare on his face.

"We're not going to tell you where we've been. That's our business, not yours." He said, stubbornly turning away from Marco and looking out at the sea.

"Not our business?" Marco asked in a deadly whisper, looking far more furious than Sabo ever thought he could be. Ace obviously scented the danger he was in now too, judging by the paling of his skin, but the stubborn idiot did not relent. If Marco knew they had been with Shanks for the entire night he would turn into a raging ball of blue fire in no time.

"You disobey not only my orders but Pops' orders, you knew where you were going; yes Ace, we met the old man that told you where to go, and you knew you were going to see a rival pirate crew. You put your lives at risk before telling anyone. And you think that _it's none of our business_?"

Marco didn't yell, or scream. He just listed some of the many things that they had done in the past day in his calm, bored voice. But his eyes gave away the truth. The normally dull blue was alive, dancing with frigid anger and burning right into Ace's heart as he tried his best to glare back at Marco.

"We didn't want to just sit around doing nothing." Ace retorted, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. "The people were scared, we couldn't not act on the information we were given."

"What he means is" Sabo cut across, directing Marco's smouldering gaze onto himself (because Marco had looked like he was about to hit Ace for that remark) "It would have taken too long to find everyone else and we prioritised the villagers safety over our own. Sorry if that upset you Marco but as you can see we're alright. The Red- err, the other pirates are leaving later on today so really we've accomplished our mission, right?"

Marco looked at them for a long moment before breaking them out of their mental will writing with a long sigh.

"Two weeks potato peeling duty, and restrictions from missions for a few weeks. If we dock at any other island you will be accompanied by a commander at all times."

"You're grounding us?" they both yelled, staring at him with wide eyes, disbelief pouring off of them in waves.

"Yes." Marco snapped, turning to glare at them into silence again. "You didn't tell me where you were, or what you were doing. I didn't know if you were safe or if you were in danger. Now you are part of our family you need to learn to trust us, and for that to happen you need to tell us where you're going when you change the plans."

With one final glare thrown their way Marco turned and stalked off towards the docks, presumably to get the cartel ready.

"You really worried us." Ryan commented after a long stretch of silence. Ace and Sabo turned to look at him in surprise.

"Really?" Ace asked, confused. Why would they have been worrying about them? They were strong enough to take care of themselves; they didn't need to be babied.

His thoughts must have shown on his face because Ryan gave him a soft smile while the other three shook their heads at his cluelessness.

"Yes Ace, really." Repeated Sara, looking at him with hard eyes, filled with anger. "You two disappeared. We had no idea where you were!"

Sabo nodded slowly, understanding where they were coming from now while Ace remained clueless. They were angry with them because they had scared them. If Luffy suddenly disappeared and didn't show up to a place they had promised to meet he'd be going mad with worry.

"Ace, you scared us." Joshua explained with a soft smile, fidgeting slightly when Ace turned his gaze to him. "We didn't know where you were or if you needed our help. You're one of our little brothers now and if you got hurt without us knowing how do you think that would make us feel?"

Ace bit his lip, thinking. If Luffy got hurt without him knowing how Ace would have gone after the bastard that hurt him while Sabo patched him up before joining him in his crusade of brotherly anger. But they did that because the idea that Luffy could have been hurt, could have died, without them being with him terrified the both of them. Finally he nodded to show he understood.

"Sorry for scaring you all."

"Yeah, sorry."

Both of them bowed low, hiding their remorseful faces from their friends.

"It's alright." Said Ryan softly, going forward and placing his hands on their shoulders. "Just please don't do it again."

Ace and Sabo smiled back happily, glad they were forgiven. Then they remembered their punishment and a dark cloud of gloom gathered over their heads.

"We're going to have to apologize to Mama Marco, aren't we?"

"Yup."

"...great. Do us a favour?"

"What is it?"

"Write us a will and say sorry to Luffy for us."

"Got it."

Turns out they would have a lot more to apologize to Marco for by the end of the day. When Marco had left he had originally gone to check out their cartel and make sure it was ready to set sail again. While he was glad this mission had been so short he was not impressed with Ace and Sabo. Didn't those idiots realize what they were doing half the time?

Probably not.

And not only that, but they had been with another pirate crew for the whole night! That just screamed suspicious. Plus, Marco had caught Sabo little slip up and he was praying that it didn't mean what he thought it did. If that stupid Red Hair tried to recruit his brothers then Marco was going to have to step in and do damage control (damage control doesn't usually consist of wanting to send a flaming kick right at a man's head but he was a Whitebeard Pirate and their views of normality differed slightly from society's.)

So, to recap, Marco was not a happy chicky, he had not been a happy chicky for most of this trip, and the object of his most current form of irritation happened to be sitting on the dock right in front of their ship. Marco started to wonder what he had done to piss off the higher powers so much. He tried to follow orders, and he wasn't too harsh with his brothers (except when they pissed him off so much he contemplated arson but those incidents are rare and never talked about.)

"...Red Hair." He greeted with a falsely polite tone, narrowing his eyes in personal dislike. "What do you want, yoi?" He was really not in the mood for the other man's whims. Nor was he in any mood to hear anything about his brothers from this man, unless it was to tell him that they did nothing to them, their innocence was still intact, and they were not harmed in any way.

The infuriating man just laughed away his question with a wave of his hand.

"Hey Marco, how's the Old Man doing? The other brats didn't talk much about him."

"What did you do to them, yoi?" Marco hissed, stalking towards the red haired man with scorn dripping off his figure like rivers of seawater off a seaking.

Shanks grinned up at him, either not noticing his mood or not caring to notice.

"We talked, had a drink. It was nice to meet them. They're certainly as fun to tease as their brother. Do you know about their little brother? Those two could out talk Yasopp when we were talking about him."

Marco let out a mental sigh of relief. Ace and Sabo hadn't told Shanks that their brother was with them. That was a small comfort; the last thing Marco needed was for Luffy to meet Shanks (Marco expertly ignored the niggling sensation at the back of his head that usually informed him of when he wasn't in on one of his brothers jokes and so couldn't prepare damage control.)

"Yes I've heard about their little brother, yoi. Now if you would leave, we have to get back and report to Pops about why you were on this island to begin with, yoi."

Shanks let out a loud laugh, standing up and grinning as he noticed the two brothers and four other division members coming down the docks towards their ship.

"Don't worry Pineapple I'm going. Just let me say goodbye to the brats and then I'll be away."

Ignoring the murderous gaze being directed at him, Shanks casually strolled towards the others, noticing as he did so that only Ace and Sabo seemed completely at ease with his presence.

"Well, this is where we say good bye for now you two. I might stop by the Moby Dick sometime to see how you're doing." He stuck his tongue out at them with a wink, laughing at the sudden nervous sweating that broke out among the other Whitebeard Pirates. "That is, if Ace hasn't sunk by then."

Sabo laughed along as his raven haired brother fumed silently, wondering when Luffy's nickname had also been applied to him (oh yeah, when he ate a devil fruit).

"I'll try and stop him from sinking too much." Sabo promised with a good hearted laugh, smiling gratefully up at the older man. "Thank you again, for everything you've done for us."

They both bowed low to him in gratitude once again, uncaring towards the confused stares of their crewmates. Shanks grinned gently, raising his remaining arm to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Honestly, you don't need to thank me so much. Luffy's life is far more important to me than any of my limbs." He reached forward to ruffle their hair gently before turning away, facing the end of the dock where his own nakama were waiting for him so they could return to the Red Force and return to their adventures. With a final backwards wave towards the two brothers he headed off to join his crew, chuckling under his breath. Who knew that when he stopped off on one of old Newgate's islands he would run into the son of his old captain?

The Whitebeards watched Shanks leave with mixed emotions. Most of them were glad to see him leave but for two teenagers they felt a familiar yearning in their hearts, almost as if they had found another home in the red haired man with one arm who drank far too much. Now they could truly understand Luffy's love and admiration for Red Hair Shanks; a love and admiration they were starting to build for the man too.

After chewing out Namur for letting him deal with Shanks alone (Namur didn't feel like getting his ear talked off by that damn child of a man, thank you very much), Marco finally gave the orders to set sail for the Moby Dick and for home. Needless to say Ace and Sabo had apologized profusely on the way back, knowing now why Marco had been so upset with them and accepting their punishment with grace...well Sabo did, Ace was still sulking slightly but let's ignore that for now.

Another thing they made sure to do was to make sure that the rest of the crewmates knew that Luffy was under no circumstances allowed to learn that they had met Shanks, or what they had talked about on the island. Their demands had been met with curious and suspicious stares but eventually they all agreed to try and keep it a secret from their youngest brother. They trusted Ace and Sabo to know what their brother should know and what he should not. What Ace and Sabo had forgotten to warn them about was Luffy's greatest weapon.

...They stood no chance if Luffy caught on to the fact they were keeping this a secret.

XXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXXXX

It was five days in to Ace and Sabo's punishment when they made land again. Luffy ran around on deck, laughing with excitement as he watched his nakama rush around to prepare the ship for docking. Needless to say with such a large ship it took a large number of people to do this task. Luffy spotted Marco shouting orders to some of the crew but most of them ran around with practised ease, slipping into their stations like it was the most natural thing in the world for them to be doing. Luffy had tried to help earlier but he had been told by Ylli, one of the navigators, had told him to stay over by the side and to not get in the way.

Luffy crossed his arms, pouting slightly. He hadn't meant to be in the way, honest! And it wasn't really his fault that Florian had crashed into him.

A grin spread across his face as he rocketed over to the massive form of the captain. Luffy was getting impatient, waiting anxiously for the island to be close enough to rocket to. He decided that he might as well talk to Pops, he always had interesting stories to tell. Plus, Ace and Sabo were too busy to talk to him at the moment; Marco was still annoyed at them for some reason.

"Hey Pops!" Luffy greeted with a sunny smile, swinging up to sit comfortably on Whitebeard's knee. When he had first done this after Whitebeard had helped him with his nightmares the crew were less than happy with it. Now however, no one batted an eyelash, happy to see their father entertaining their youngest. Often Luffy managed to drag stories out of Whitebeard that even Marco hadn't heard before.

"Hello brat. Looking forward to going on land again?"

"Yup." Luffy chirped with a wide grin, looking out to the ever approaching island.

Unlike the one where Ace and Sabo had been sent, the island that was approaching them now was a sprawling mass of little houses and tall, luscious palm trees. There was no mountain, or jungle; just sandy beaches that seemed to stretch all around the island like a ring of palest gold. The seaside town seemed to stretch in land forever, white-washed walls and pebble-dashed roofs shining in the warm sunlight. Even from where Luffy was sat he could hear the steadily increasing noise of fisherman yelling to each other as they loaded their carts full with their catch to take to fishmongers, seagulls screeching and diving towards any unsuspecting man, only to get batted away at a seconds notice.

"Shihihi, it's a whole new adventure." Luffy giggled, bouncing slightly where he sat in excitement.

Whitebeard let out a low chuckle, bringing his tankard up and taking a swig of sake, deaf to the protesting of his doctors. It never failed to amuse him how excited Luffy would act when they came close to a new island. They had to physically restrain the little idiot to stop him from chasing after his brothers when he learned they were away on their mission.

"Maybe Marco will go with you into town? He could use a break from his work."

Luffy beamed at that idea, eyes darting to where Marco stood, excitement rolling off his body as he grinned. Spending the day with Marco would be really fun!

Whitebeard smiled at his youngest child's enthusiasm. Taking the brat into town and babysitting him for the day would be good for Marco. He had been over-working himself again, having to do the paperwork for the second division as well as his own. The dark circles underneath his eyes spoke of the nights he was spending on paperwork and Whitebeard wasn't the only one concerned; just that morning Izo had come to him asking for ways to get Marco to take a break. Babysitting Luffy would be good for him because while it may be stressful sometimes (the damn brat didn't understand the concept of staying still) it was impossible not to come away from it without a lighter spirit and a more positive outlook of the day.

He grinned into his tankard as he watched Luffy bound over to his first commander, hugging him tightly around the waist as he blabbered excitedly about what they were going to do, and knew that he had made the right choice in telling the brat to stay with Marco.

Luffy literally dragged Marco off the ship as soon as they docked, beaming up at him as he clung to his arm. He slowed down a little to watch Ace disappear with Thatch into the town, knowing his brother was most likely planning another funny game for them to play. Luffy quickly looked around for Sabo, only to frown when he couldn't find his mop of curly blonde hair anywhere on deck.

"Sabo's with Izo, yoi." Marco informed him, smiling ever so slightly as Luffy's face morphed into one of relieved happiness. "Izo was trying to get him to go shopping with him last I checked."

"Is that a bad thing?" Luffy wondered as he gazed around the town with stars in his eyes, making awed sounds at all the different shops and people they passed. Marco smiled a little wider at that, reminding himself that Luffy was only fourteen so it was natural for him to be this star-struck over a simple trading town. They walked a little further down the cobbled road as Marco contemplated the question.

"Not really if you don't mind being asked opinions over every single outfit Izo picks out, yoi. It's more a test of patience than a chore to do."

"Sabo notices a lot of things that me and Ace don't." Luffy stated with a smile up at the blonde man. "He'll probably have a lot of fun looking at different outfits with Izo."

"Really?" Marco asked, surprised. He knew the blonde brother was the more academically inclined of the three (if the books he was hoarding didn't give it away) but none of them had struck Marco as particularly observant.

Luffy merely hummed a confirmation before his eyes lit up and he was dragging Marco down to the street to stare into the window of little sweet shop on the corner of the road. The rest of the day was spent in a similar fashion; Luffy seeing a shop he deemed 'interesting' and Marco being dragged along for the ride. He was also able to witness how large a sweet tooth his youngest brother had, and only felt a little bit guilty when he bought the young teenager a large bag of sweets just to get him away from the shop.

He had also been surprised when Luffy pulled him into a book shop. The shelves were stacked high with all sorts of different books; small books, large books, skinny books, books that were falling apart, books that looked like they were brand new. Dust drifted lazily through the stale air, tickling Marco's nose as he tried not to sneeze. Curiously Luffy had made a beeline for where the journals were and was now looking through them with a trained eye and a practised hand, caressing the pages softly as he perused the bare pages of each journal until he found one he deemed satisfactory. Luffy quickly paid for the journal before hurrying back to Marco with a pleased grin on his face, holding up the book for him to see.

It was an old looking journal, bound in dyed blue leather with a simple criss-crossing pattern down the spine. The pages were old but thick, the parchment weathering slightly at the edges but still in good condition.

"Why did you buy this, yoi?" he asked, handing the book back to Luffy who took it with careful hands, placing it gently back into the paper bag he was given.

"It's a present for Sabo." Luffy explained with gentle smile. It was the first time Marco had seen him look so serious. "Sabo's dream is to the see the world and write all his adventures down in a book. He's running out of pages so I wanted to get him a new journal."

Marco made a noise of understanding and they continued their pace back through the town. It was getting close to lunchtime and Marco needed to order some supplies from the shops in the afternoon. Maybe someone else could babysit Luffy while he worked? He doubted the brat would be too keen in watching him place orders in the shops for all the supplies they needed. He was so caught up in his musing about which commander would watch Luffy he almost didn't notice when the boy in question stopped outside yet another shop.

Marco turned around, fully prepared to tell him he couldn't have anymore sweets when he noticed Luffy had stopped outside a florist and was staring at something in the window with an expression full of wonder. Something softened in his eyes before he walked in to the shop without a backwards glance at Marco who just stood there, trying not to gape at what he had just seen. The way Luffy had looked at the window display (soft eyes and a slight twitch of his lip like he was about to smile but didn't) was an expression Marco had never seen on his face before; an expression of fond reminiscing and a little bit of humour that hinted towards a private joke, an expression much more likely to be found on the faces of his older brothers.

Luffy soon came out again, clutching a paper bag carefully to his chest, not wanting to crush the fragile flowers inside. He merely grinned at Marco's searching look before hurrying off to where he thought the Moby Dick was, only to be steered the correct way by Marco a few moments later.

"Shihihi thanks Mama Pineapple~"

They made it back to the ship a few minutes just in time for lunch. Luffy immediately dived for the mountain of food that was tottering precariously in between the other mountains that hid Ace and Sabo from view. Soon the galley was in its usually state of organised chaos as bones, chairs, and people were sent flying from the ASL brothers' ravenous hunger.

It was only when Thatch and Izo came over and asked about the packages Luffy had brought did they slow down enough to have a decent conversation (Izo's lectures about table manners didn't count).

Luffy quickly grabbed the bag with the blue leather bound journal and presented it to his blonde brother with a large grin, giggling slightly when Sabo stroked the binding gently and smiled his approval.

"Thanks Lu, this will be great."

"What about me? Did you get me anything, Bubbles?" Ace teased, grinning as Luffy flushed from the old nickname. Not noticing the others bewildered looks, Luffy reached into the other bag and withdrew what he bought from the florist and set it carefully on top of Ace's head.

It was a wreath of cherry blossoms.

The pale pink petals settled gentle across the raven tresses, fluttering slightly around Ace's shoulders as some of them came loose. Ace stared at his younger brother with a wondrous expression, lifting his hand to run gentle fingers across the fragile flowers.

Sabo watched him with a gentle smile before a warm, light entered his eyes.

"Pretty as a princess..."

Ace flushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as Luffy giggled beside him. He didn't move to take the flower crown off though.

"You really do look very pretty." Complimented Izo as he smiled at his younger brother, making his blush darken slightly. Ace was turning out to be just too cute sometimes.

"Why cherry blossoms though?" asked Thatch with an amused grin, throwing a smirk towards the older black haired boy. He was never going to let Ace live this down if it turned out to be something embarrassing.

"It's an old nickname." Sabo explained with a sheepish laugh, turning to look at Thatch as if judging how much to reveal. "A lady who used to take care of us gave us all nicknames; Luffy was Bubbles, I was Buttercup, and Ace was Blossom. We know they sound girly but there's a reason behind them...well I know there's a reason behind my nickname."

Ace and Luffy nodded in agreement with this story, grinning slightly as they all remembered the day Makino decided on what nicknames she wanted to give the three of them. Sure they were childish but the way Makino had looked at them when saying their nicknames...it had made every single one of them feel warm inside.

"We all care a lot about her so we all are quite attached to our nicknames, but please don't call us them." Sabo asked with a gentle smile. "They're nicknames only she can call us by."

"They're special." Summed up Izo with an understanding look in his eyes and he discreetly stamped down on Thatch's foot to stop him from opening his mouth. "We understand. We will respect your wishes." They barely had time to sigh in relief before Sabo was yanked up from the bench with a yelp.

"If you let me give you a makeover." Finished Izo with a smile that was borderline sadistic. Sabo paled dramatically, knowing he was going to be the one targeted. He was really regretting spending the day with Izo know. Luffy just laughed at his brother's terrified expression.

"You're going to make Sabo pretty?"

"Yeah Lu." Ace grinned, giving his brother a big thumbs up as he was dragged away by the evil crossdresser. "Izo's going to make Sabo really pretty."

With a grin towards Thatch they raced off to find a camera, leaving Luffy to finish their meals off before joining them as Sabo's shrieks rang through the hallways to the accompaniment of his brothers' laughter.

**A/N: That's the end of this chapter! Sorry if it was rushed and not as long as the last one, once again Collage is being a twat as it's coming up to Christmas. R&R~!**

**444dodo444: ****Thanks, I'm glad you liked it~**

**Cvrious****: I already have those chapters planned out, you've just got to wait for them I'm afraid~**

**Sarah132cs****: Yes it is a real song. It's the Scottish Folk song 'The Skye Boat Song' all about Bonney Prince Charlie and the battle of Culloden. **

**9momentos****: He did, I just forgot to write that part in ^-^ll I felt really silly after I posted it because I remembered it two days after I posted it.**

**Transformers' BABY****: Yup, Luffy now has Papa Shanks and Mama Pineapple; isn't his family growing?~**

**Little Lady Slytherin****: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Shanks can certainly forget some pretty important things, huh?**

**zorchide****: Thank you?**

**AaliyaIronHeart****: Have more *throws update towards you*~**

**TheCaptainOfShips****: It's a bad day for rain...Glad you liked it though!**

**Iris sundaraneedi****: I tried to include more Luffy in this chapter but I have all my chapters planned out at this point and I can say there is a big chapter dedicated to mainly Luffy but you're going to have to wait for that one. But now everyone's back on the Moby Dick he will be included a lot more.**

**youshouldn'tneedtoknow****: *hands out pamphlet* spread the Shanks love, spread it like an epidemic! Everyone needs more Shanks love in their lives.**

**Little Bookwyrm: ****Yay~ Warm fuzzies are the best fuzzies!**

**Weird-Sunny-Chan****: Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan****: Fatherly Shanks is the best! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter~**

**MossDoll****: Thank you~ Luffy and Shanks' relationship is one of my favourites in the whole series!**

**JadeOccelot****: Ace and Sabo are back~ It was weird not writing them! Him and Hawkeye are going to be the butt of many jokes whenever Shanks makes his appearances in this story (hint: there will be more Shanks coming in later!)**

**Reira-Layla****: ASDFGHJASDFGH! *gapes speechlessly for a while* I KNEW YOU'RE NAME SOUNDED FAMILIAR! OH MY GOSH! I love 'No Regrets' like, I seriously love that fic! It's so amazing well written and I look forward to it updating everyday and it's so beautiful and you were so cruel with the latest chapter! You seriously make me frightened for Sabo in the last few chapters!**

**...Sorry, went on a kind of rant there~ Thank you so much! *screams into pillow because one of my favourite authors like this story* ANYONE WHO READS THESE RESPONSES: GO READ 'NO REGRETS' RIGHT NOW! Please?**

**MissJenca****:**** Well more like Sabo and Ace future troubles of peeling potatoes seeing as Luffy didn't do anything to make Marco mad~ Also, if you read the above comment please go read 'No Regrets' it's fantastic! Thanks for reading!**

**Insanity-is-Freedom****: Thank You!**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone! It's too cold!**

**This fic has just passed 100 reviews! How the heck has this happened?! I don't understand! I'm thinking about making another bonus chapter about Sabo's makeover as soon as it reaches 150; what do you guys think? Would you want anything else in the bonus chapter?**

**Also, competition for this chapter: What's the real reason behind Ace's name 'Blossom'?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and I doubt I ever will.**

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The heavy pacing didn't stop. It had started ten minutes ago and the pacing man didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. He was wringing his hands around two large pieces of paper; documents maybe? Or wanted posters?

His teeth ground together as he halted his pacing just enough to glare with a worried frown out the window to the open sea. After six months of searching his grandsons had finally re-emerged from hiding, and they had re-emerged as Whitebeard Pirates...

...Ace...Sabo...Luffy...

Those three idiots were just asking for a fist of love.

Sabo woke up shivering. He pulled the blankets tighter around him, trying to get warmer. Namur had told him the other day that they would be passing a winter island that day but he hadn't expected it to be so fricking cold. Warm breath hung in the air like a sparkling cloud of dust before it dissolved into the air. He spent several minutes trying to warm himself up before deciding that his current method was not working.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerve, Sabo quickly swung himself down from his hammock into the one beneath him, flailing slightly at the sudden shift in temperature as he landed on his personal heater; also known as Portgas D. Ace.

Having one of your brothers land on you would certainly wake most people...Ace wasn't most people. He continued to sleep on, oblivious to the brother he now had snuggling into his side, glad for the fire-user's increased body heat. Normally Sabo would never even think about clinging to his brother like a teddy bear but he had also never been this cold either. Plus, he was the only non-devil fruit user out of the three of them; Luffy's rubber skin insulated him really well from the cold and Ace was made of fire so he couldn't feel the cold. Sabo had no such luck.

After a few moments it became clear however that only Ace could stand the cold in the long run. Soon enough Luffy was climbing into the hammock as well, shivering violently because he hadn't thought to drag his blankets with him like Sabo did. Both of them quickly threw their arms around Ace's waist, fully prepared to not let him go for the rest of the day. In fact, by the time Marco descended into the second divisions sleeping quarters, many of the other crewmembers of the second division had gathered around Ace's bunk, huddling together for warmth as they all tried to reach the fire-user.

Marco took one look at their pathetic, miserable faces and let out a large sigh.

"I know for a fact most of you have winter clothes, yoi. Put them on and start on your chores. We'll only be passing this island for a few more hours; you can deal with the cold until then, yoi."

Whilst everyone reluctantly started to scramble around for jumpers and gloves (some of them even tried to pull their clothes on over their blankets) Marco walked calmly over to Ace's hammock and stared down at the three sleeping brothers. He felt a little bit bad (oh wait, no he didn't) as he pulled on the edge of the hammock, sending all three boys toppling to the floor in a heap of blankets and limbs. While Sabo and Luffy came up spluttering and shivering, Ace continued to sleep despite the fact he was face planting the floor with half his body still in his hammock.

"...Does he always sleep like a zombie, yoi?" asked Marco, raising an eyebrow as the rest of Ace's body tumbled out of his hammock to join him on the floor. Luffy looked up at him from where he was trying to steal Sabo's remaining blankets.

"Yep! Ace has trouble waking up so we usually have to help him."

"Most people don't count jumping on him until he gets so annoyed he has to wake up as helping him Lu."

"But it gets him awake." Luffy pointed out, pouting slightly at the disbelieving stares he was getting off of some of the other crew members.

Sabo merely sighed before giving up on keeping his blankets to himself and crawling over to rummage in one of their trunks for warm clothes for both him and Luffy. Quickly dodging the red coat that was thrown haphazardly at his head, Luffy quickly went about his 'wake-Ace-up' routine, stretching his arm to wrap around one of the ceiling beams. He quickly allowed his body to snap back, following his arm as he collided with the ceiling like a badly aimed rocket. The reason why soon became clear (as did the reason Sabo hid behind the clothing trunks). As Luffy collided with the ceiling he bounced off it, violently slamming into his brother below, only to be pulled up by his arms to repeat the process like some possessed, violent yo-yo. He didn't seem to care that sometimes his angle was thrown off and he ended up slamming into three other people, knocking them out cold before Ace finally decided to wake up.

And when Ace woke up, he exploded in a wave of heat that made all the pain worth it in the second division members' eyes.

The temperature of the sleeping deck rocketed upwards, until half of the division were convinced they had found a way to teleport to Alabasta. Ace slowly turned to glare at his giggling brother, obviously wanting nothing more to set fire to the annoying rubber brat. Thankfully Luffy's imminent death-by-pissed-off-older-brother was put on hold when Sabo chucked on of Ace's boots directly at his head, diverting his murderous rage on to the blonde instead.

"Glad to see you're awake Sleeping Beauty. Get dressed already, no one wants to see more of your boxers than we need to this early in the day." Sabo smirked before chucking a pair of black cargo shorts over to him, laughing slightly at the small blush on his brother's face. Quickly Sabo set about making Luffy dress in his winter clothes, trying to explain in the most basic way that just because it was warm in the sleeping quarters didn't mean it was going to be warm on deck. Needless to say Luffy didn't get it, Sabo got a headache, and Ace got some entertainment that made his mood lighten up again.

Ace was just glad it hadn't been up to him to explain why Luffy needed winter clothes, especially as one of Luffy's main arguments was 'Ace is just wearing shorts'...maybe he should put on a shirt today, just to get Luffy to wear proper clothing rather than any desire to wear the restricting monstrosities. Funny how a few weeks of not wearing a shirt can turn you into a shirt hating maniac who wanted to burn anyone who ever came near with one of those things.

Eventually they did all manage to get dressed and, as one big unit, the entire second division headed out of the sleeping deck, stumbling towards the galley, moaning and groaning about how hungry they were; even Sabo and Luffy slowed down their pace as soon as the frigid air of the corridors hit them.

Only Ace wasn't affected. He cheerfully continued his conversation with Marco, ignoring the murderous glares he was getting from the crew and his brothers for walking around with just shorts on.

When they all reached the galley they found the cooks going out of their way to make sure piping hot food was being served to every table; smoking hot sausages, boiling baked beans, sizzling lashes of bacon, warm buttery toast, there was even pancakes on the go! Thatch commanded the kitchen staff with the efficiency of a soldier going into battle, making sure that food never ran short and there was a constant supply of tea, coffee, and hot chocolate (a must have for weather like this).

When he spotted the second division traipsing through the doorway a large grin spread across his face. He too was bundled up against the cold but unlike most of the crew they could see, Thatch looked ecstatic. His face glowed with pure joy, cheeks rosy from heat of the kitchens but eyes twinkling madly in joy. He held up ten, glove covered fingers, signally to the brothers that he would be out with their food in ten minutes before turning to the monumental task he had set himself and attacking the ingredients with gusto.

"Commander Thatch has certainly given himself a challenge." Chuckled a gravelly voice from behind them. Sabo turned and smiled tightly at the large man who was casting his shadow over them.

"Good morning Teach." He greeted, trying not to tense up in the presence of the other man. For some reason none of them understood Luffy couldn't stand Marshall D. Teach, something that instantly set his older brothers on edge. Even as they spoke, Sabo could see Luffy inching away from them with a guarded expression on his face, an expression that didn't belong there. Ace and Sabo shared a look before the raven haired teen forced a grin and slung an arm round Luffy's thin shoulders, steering him towards their usual table, keeping up a forced chatter that continued until they both sat down, leaving Sabo to deal with Teach on his own.

"What problem do you have with Teach?" Ace asked, forcing Luffy down onto the bench before taking a seat next to him, not removing his arm from his shoulders. Luffy fidgeted slightly under his brother's concerned eyes, twisting and stretching his fingers as he frowned lightly, obviously trying to think how to explain himself.

"...he just...doesn't feel right..." he muttered, letting go of his fingers and picking up his knife, eyes widening as the silver flashed and sparkled in the light of the winter sun streaming through the window.

Ace reluctantly let it go seeing as his little brother was now clearly distracted, turning to greet Sabo who came over with a twitchy air about him. He slumped onto the bench opposite them, spared a brief smile to the still distracted Luffy, before wilting on to the table with a low groan. Ace chuckled gently, tilting his brother's hat back so he could poke his forehead.

"And you tell me off for sleeping on the table."

A mumbled curse word, muffled by the thick scarf that swallowed Sabo's neck, was all the response Ace got. Leaning backwards, Ace turned to look around the galley, smiling at anyone who gave him a confused look at seeing him looking at them upside down.

"What are you doing?" asked a curious voice from above him, causing Ace to turn his head to the left to stare at the imposing figure of Jozu, towering over him with a frown of confusing on his face.

"Passing the time." He replied with a grin, straightening up before grimacing as blood rushed from his head to the rest of his body. He quickly shook off the head ache though, turning his attention to the diamond man behind him. "It's fun to see how many people get disturbed when humour I stare at them for too long."

"And that's why we should not leave you alone with Thatch for any length of time." Grumbled Jozu, looking around at the other two as well before turning his attention back to Ace. "Speaking of Thatch do you know what he's planning?"

"Planning? Why do you think he would be planning anything?" Ace asked in a politely confused tone, tilting his head slightly to look up at the older man. Seeing Jozu relax Ace mentally smirked, glad he was still able to imitate Luffy's cute innocence so he didn't get caught. He and Thatch had been planning this for a week now, he wasn't going to slip up and give the game away now. Though they would have to tred carefully if Jozu was getting suspicious; if Jozu was suspicious then Marco would definitely be investigating. Ace had only just been taken off potato peeling duty and he would rather not be put back on it anytime soon; his hands still smelled of starch!

"It's been too quiet." Muttered Jozu, wondering off with a paranoid glance towards the kitchen. As soon as he was out of earshot Ace dissolved into snickers, slumping across the table as he covered his mouth helplessly.

Hearing his brother's snickering Luffy looked at him with a wide grin, starting to giggle himself as he tugged the sleeves of his coat down lower to cover his wrists properly so his hands weren't as cold. He couldn't hold his knife and fork if his fingers were frozen after all!

Sabo merely glared at them both through the folds of his scarf, obviously of the impression that no-one should be this happy in the chilly winter morning.

"You enjoy making them paranoid, don't you?" he asked grumpily, rubbing his bare hands together and blowing on them, trying to get feeling back into his fingers.

Ace grinned roguishly, eyes glinting in impish amusement.

"You enjoy the same thing." He pointed out with a smirk, pointing a finger of triumph at his brother's face. "Don't even pretend you don't. Also, you're nail polish is starting to come off."

Sabo let out a whoop of relief, cheering up slightly as he scratched desperately at the sparkly blue nail polish Izo had accosted his nails with. Though it was pretty, and complimented what he usually wore (never mind the fact it was his favourite colour) Izo had not let him use nail polish remover: so while the rest of the makeup was easy to get off the nail polish had stayed on his fingers for two weeks and was only now starting to peel off.

Luffy pouted as he watched the polish start to flake off.

"Sabo looked pretty." He whined, staring dismally at his brother's fingers that were slowly getting less glittery with every passing moment. Ace and Sabo shared a look, shaking their heads at their little brother.

"How about after breakfast you go and ask Izo to paint your nails for two weeks, see how pretty you feel then." Sabo sighed, cheering up a lot more when he noticed Thatch and two other chefs heading their way with their XXXXXXL breakfasts.

Luffy simply hummed in contemplation before attacking his mountain as soon as it was on the table. Ace and Sabo quickly thanked their friend before they too were lost to the world of warm, delicious food, letting out appreciative moans as soon as they started. Thatch chuckled good-naturedly and sat down beside Sabo, watching the boys carefully to make sure they still ate everything on their plates. He knew it was silly (food stood no chance of survival against those three monsters) but he still needed to make sure they were eating enough for their metabolisms to break down; for his own peace of mind if not for their health.

As soon as they finished their meal, Ace and Thatch left the galley, heads low and whispering excitedly to each other; causing many paranoid glances to follow their departure. Luffy looked around quickly before spotting Izo and bounding over to him, causing Sabo to pale and go the opposite direction; needless to say that after Izo had kidnapped him, Sabo was keeping a wide birth between them...at least his nails stopped being blue and sparkly. He hoped Luffy hadn't taken his joke seriously. Knowing Luffy he would be pleased for the first few hours before growing bored and wanting the polish off his nails.

The deck had turned into a winter wonderland overnight. As soon as Ace stepped up on deck his eyes were dazzled by glittering white snow covering every space on deck. It sparkled gently in the harsh winter light, gleaming and magnificent against the dark grain of the wood. Snow continued to fall, shimmering slightly in the air before it settled lightly on his skin, melting into water as soon as it touched his bare flesh. The pale flecks stood out starkly against raven locks, studding his hair with silvery stars. The redhead beside him grinned happily, gazing up into the bleak grey sky like it held all the wonders of the world. He didn't even twitch as snow landed softly on his skin, gathering in his eyelashes as he stared up in the sky.

Trenches had been dug by the footprints of many crewmates, carving paths through the wonderland around them but not tainting most of the pure landscape. Ace and Thatch started to walk towards the railings, compressed snow and ice crunching delicately beneath their feet.

They gazed out at the iron-grey sea that lapped gently against the hull. Out of the corner of their eye they could see the winter island, sparkling softly in the frost air. Their breath puffed out in clouds of glittering smoke, obstructing their vision as it twisted through the frigid air.

"I love the winter." Thatch said suddenly, breaking Ace out of his thoughts as he turned to see his friend grinning brilliantly at him. "The snow always makes me happy."

"Why?" asked Ace, holding out his hands to try and catch some snowflakes, willing his body temperature to drop to a normal human's just so that they wouldn't melt as soon as they touched him. It was one of the things he missed about life before his devil fruit. Sabo had once told him when they were seven that no snowflake is the same and they had spent a whole afternoon catching snowflakes on their fingers and trying to compare them. He supposed that was what made snowflakes so beautiful; they were so fleeting in their beauty that you rarely had the chance to notice it before it was gone.

Thatch shrugged, watching him with an amused smile. "It always has, ever since I was a kid. Where I came from snow was rare so it was always something amazing to see. Do you not like snow?"

"It's not that I don't like it." Ace explained. "It's more like I'm impartial to it. It made hunting for food harder back home, and it was harder to hide from Shitty Gramps when it was snowing. Luffy loves the stuff, he always enjoyed snow because it meant Christmas was coming. Sabo loves looking at it and playing in it, but he hates being cold so as long as he's got an endless supply of hot chocolate he'll be happy as a daisy."

"Or a buttercup?" Thatch suggested with a grin, expertly hiding the concern he felt when Ace mentioned having to hide from his grandfather. Anytime the three boys had mentioned this 'Shitty Gramps' they had always looked completely terrified, as if even referencing him made him appear like some form of demon. Now though Ace seemed more relaxed; hopefully being in a safe environment was lessening the paranoia all three boys held towards their grandfather.

Ace laughed and nodded, grinning broadly as he leant on the railing behind him.

"Do you mind me asking how you got that nickname?" asked Thatch, wanting to know more about his younger friend but not wanting to make him uncomfortable. They still knew very little about the brothers, so any new information was quickly absorbed and memorised. Thatch was a naturally curious person, it was what made him and Haruta such good friends (that and their love of pranking but that didn't matter too much at the moment). He wanted to know what made Ace the likable, polite, but devilish teenager he knew and if Thatch knew anything, it was that a person's nickname could reveal a lot about them.

For a moment Thatch thought he had asked too early, as Ace frowned slightly at him before averting his gaze to the floor. That was something Thatch had learnt about Ace through observation alone; the seventeen year old would always avert his eyes downward if a subject was making him uncomfortable but would avert his eyes upward if a subject was making him curious. Fighting back the urge to apologise, Thatch waited patiently for Ace to respond.

"We told you one of our caretakers gave us those nicknames...She called me Blossom because she took me to the Mother's Day festival in the village near where we lived. There were cherry blossom trees as one of the main attractions and the blossoms kept getting stuck in my hair so she called me Blossom." Ace explained with an uncomfortable shrug, cheeks stained pink like the blossoms he was talking about. Thatch smiled gently at him. It really surprised him sometimes that this brave young man could be incredibly cute when he was embarrassed, it was something he shared with Sabo too (Luffy never stopped being cute so he didn't count). And it was this cuteness that reminded Thatch how young his friend actually was.

"Do you know what cherry blossoms symbolise?" he asked abruptly, receiving a negative response from his raven haired companion. Thatch nodded in understanding before smiling gently. "Well don't worry about it then, I'm sure your caretaker didn't mean anything by it."

"Flowers have meanings behind them?" Ace asked, curious. It was the first time he had ever heard anything like that, though in retrospect that might explain why Dadan used to get slightly emotional around some specific flowers.

Thatch nodded.

"Some people spend a lot of time learning the language of flowers. Izo knows a bit of it if you're interested, and I think Hana knows a little bit too if you really want to know about it."

"Sabo like learning about codes so I might mention it to him." Mused Ace thinking about how they could pass messages to each other just by showing each other a flower. That could be incredibly useful on missions that required stealth or if they had to exchange information without another person knowing. It would be a pain trying to teach Luffy but it might just be worth it.

Suddenly Thatch let out a low groan, looking out to sea with an annoyed glare on his face. Ace turned to see what he was staring at, only to see a marine battleship with a strange dog-like figure head approaching them on the horizon.

"Marine." Ace noted with a grim smile. "Does that mean there's a fight coming up?"

"That's just Garp." Thatch explained calmly, still glaring out at the approaching battleship. "Sure the guy may be bat-shit insane but he doesn't usually fight us when he comes to visit."

Thatch turned to look at Ace, only to realise Ace was now looking at him like he had just said there was no more meat or rum left in the world: Absolutely terrified.

Thatch blinked.

Ace stared.

Thatch blinked again and waved his hand in front of Ace's face to try and get a reaction.

..

If it a reaction he wanted he got it. The fire user let out an ear shattering wail of fear, clutching at his hair as he turned his frantically this way and that. The temperature on deck started to rise, melting the snow around their feet as Ace's terror caused his concentration to break and his internal thermometer to rise again.

Thatch quickly grabbed his shoulders, spinning him around to face him as he tried to calm the fire-user down.

"Ace, calm down! What's the matter with you?" he yelled as Sabo and Luffy burst out on to the deck, obviously summoned by Ace's shriek. In fact most of the crew now had the tough decision of watching Garp's ship come closer or watching Ace's meltdown. When Ace saw his brothers he started flailing, trying to get out of Thatch's hold to go to his brothers.

"Shitty Gramps alert!" he screamed at them, making Sabo run to the port side to make sure (only to let out a scream that was very similar to the one Ace made). When Luffy heard his other brother scream he broke down into terrified sobs. Half the crew expected Ace and Sabo to reprimand him for crying; only it looked like they wanted to join in.

Why were they so scared? Half of the commanders crowded round the three brothers with confused expressions. They knew they were terrified of the thought of their grandfather but he was...nowhere...near them...

You could hear the penny drop over Luffy's sobs and the other two's terrified chanting.

Their grandfather, the 'Shitty Gramps' that they had all heard about, was marine hero Vice-Admiral Monkey. D Garp. Marco felt like hitting himself. Luffy even shared his last name with the crazy old man yet none of them made the connection. What next, Ace would be the son of the pirate king? Or maybe Sabo would be half-mermaid?

"Luffy calm down, yoi." He said, kneeling down next to the frightened fourteen year old. "As long as you're a Whitebeard pirate Garp can't take you away. We won't let him, yoi."

"But Luffy doesn't have the tattoo." Sabo pointed out frantically. "He's terrified of needles which is why he doesn't have it yet!"

"If you think a tattoo will stop that shitty geezer you've got another thing coming." Ace yelled in a panic before turning around and grabbing the front of Thatch's coat, turning pleading eyes towards him. They weren't as good as Luffy's puppy dog eyes but they were going to have to do.

"Hiding places. Now." He demanded, shaking Thatch slightly when he didn't immediately replay. "We need to hide Luffy, and we need to hide him now."

"He can hide in my room." Suggested Rakuyo, raising his hand in the air so Luffy could see him. "I could leave Macey with him as an extra security measure."

Marco nodded slowly before turning to look at Izo. "Is there any way you can give Luffy a temporary tattoo, yoi? That way Garp can't say Luffy isn't one of us."

Izo frowned thoughtfully before nodding slowly, grabbing Luffy's arm while mumbling about the things he'd need as he dragged their youngest brother below deck, Rakuyo following closely behind.

After making sure Luffy was safely below deck Marco turned to the still panicking brothers who were twitching where they stood, obviously fighting the impulse to run.

"Do either of you want to stay on deck and try to explain your decision to Garp, yoi?"

With the speed at which they shook their heads Marco was surprised they didn't fly off their necks.

"He's been trying to make me a marine since I was three." Ace whispered in horror, a nervous sweat breaking out on his ashen face. "He's not just going to accept this."

"As soon as he heard I wanted to be a pirate I got subjected to the same training." Sabo revealed, staring up at Marco with round, petrified eyes. "That old geezer is a monster!"

"Don't we know it." Muttered Thatch before turning to address Marco. "I'll take these two below deck; find a place to hide them. Can you tell Pops what's going on?" Seeing Marco's nod of understanding he quickly ushered the remaining two brothers below deck, running through all his hiding places in his mind.

Marco quickly turned to the rest of the crew, barking out orders for them to prepare for a fight but hoping Garp wouldn't force their hands by trying to take their brothers away. He quickly hurried to his father's side to explain the new development.

"Hmm, let him come aboard." Grumbled Whitebeard. "I wont deny him the chance to see his grandsons. But if he tries to take them against their will then be prepared to intervene."

"Can't we just lie and say they're on a mission, yoi?" mumbled Marco, casting a steady gaze over the bustling crew, making sure they were going about their orders as the marine battleship grew closer and closer.

Whitebeard chuckled slightly.

"We could but that would be a cowardly thing to do. The marines have obviously learned about our new family members and we must confront them about it anyway. Thankfully the still remain oblivious to Luffy's existence otherwise they would have given him a bounty when they increased Ace and Sabo's."

"Well let's hope it stays that way for a little while longer, yoi."Marco sighed as he left Whitebeard's side and approached the main deck, waiting by the rails as the gangplank lowered and the man of nightmares crossed over onto the Moby Dick.

Garp was scowling as he stood on the deck, casting suspicious eyes over the pirates grouped all around him. He did not trust them, and they did not trust him; especially not after everything the three teenagers had revealed about their time under his tyranny (maybe they were overreacting slightly on the little bits of information they had managed to get out of them but what they had learned was that he had thrown Luffy off a cliff! Adorable little Luffy!)

Suddenly Garp turned and stalked over to the stairs, obviously intending to get up to Whitebeard's chair. Marco quickly cut across him, scowling ever so slightly with his arms crossed lazily over his chest as he gazed at the angry old man with dispassionate eyes.

"Is there a reason for this visit, yoi?" he asked with a delicately polite tone which did nothing to hide the frostiness in his words. For a bird made of fire, Marco was radiating nothing but ice towards the aged marine in front of him.

"Get out the way Pheonix." Garp demanded through gritted teeth, not in the mood to talk to anyone but the Captain. "You know exactly why I'm here. Give me my Grandsons back right now."

Marco still didn't move.

"What if they don't want to leave, yoi?"

"They need to. As if I'd leave my Grandsons in the hands of pirates."

"Hate to break it to you old man." Came Jozu's voice from where the diamond man was glaring at him. "But your Grandsons are pirates; they're Whitebeard pirates and they're our family now. So if they don't want to leave, they won't be going anywhere."

Agreement rang out from all sides as the crew echoed the third division commander's sentiments. Those three were their little brothers now and if Garp wanted to take them then he better be prepared for a war to get them back. But Garp was not deterred.

"Where are they?" he growled, advancing on the imposing figure of Jozu. Though Garp may be imposing in his own right, Jozu towered over him, negating the fear Garp may have otherwise inspired.

When it was obvious that no one was going to give him an answer he turned to glare around the circle the pirates had formed around him before bellowing at the top of his lungs:

"ACE! SABO! LUFFY! GRAMPA'S HERE TO TAKE YOU HOME! COME OUT OR YOU'LL TASTE MY FIST OF LOVE!"

Garp was glaring at the doors that lead below deck with a fierce intensity that seemed to be daring the aforementioned brothers to refuse his orders. After ten minutes of glaring, a blonde curly mop of hair poked out of a small gap between the doors. Wide, terrified eyes stared out on deck, and the blonde let out a small squeak of fear when his eyes met Garp's. It took another minute for the blonde to work up the courage to leave the refuge of the doorway, just enough time to wake the crew up from the shocked stupors they had fallen into. Mentioning Garp was enough to make them terrified yet here one of them was, about to confront the only person they seemed to fear.

Garp beamed at Sabo, apparently very pleased with himself and his ability to terrify his grandsons into appearing.

"Good, now come over here so we can get your brothers and leave. Then I can continue your training."

If possible Sabo paled even more: While Sabo's complexion was always pale he was now the colour of off-milk. Slowly he started to shake his head, curls swaying slightly as the brim of his hat cast shadows over his eyes.

"...no..." he whispered.

Garp blinked before laughing loudly, obviously not believing Sabo's refusal.

"...no..." he repeated, voice growing louder as he clenched his fists, straightening up to glare at the laughing marine. "No! We're never going to be marines! We're Whitebeard pirates, and we're proud to sail under Pops' flag and we want to sail with our brothers and sisters forever and ever!" he screamed, pulling his retractable bow staff out of his pocket and extending it in front of him, bending down into a defensive stance.

Garp stared at him, stunned slightly. The boys had often run from him (cute kids loved playing hide-an-seek with Grandpa) but never had they tried to fight him (Ace and Sabo trying to hit him after he punished Luffy didn't count). They never pulled their weapons on him...

He lunged forward, aiming a Fist of Love right at Sabo's head causing the blonde to drop to the deck and roll out of the way, bringing his staff up to block another punch to his chest.

"You have no legal claim over me, or over Ace." Sabo shouted as he continued to dodge the man's fists. The surrounding pirates were confused over this, but not thinking too much about it as they waited for a moment they could intervene. "We've all taken Whitebeard's mark; you have no claim over any of us now!"

Garp grunted before finally landing a successful hit, punching Sabo solidly in the head, causing him to drop to the floor and clutch his head in pain. Garp moved to hit him again only to find his path blocked by bright blue flames as Marco shielded Sabo from further harm.

"Leave." he hissed, glaring dangerously at the violent old man. "You hurt our brother and we won't let you do that again. Say your goodbyes or we will open fire on you and your ship."

It wasn't an empty threat either. All around the ship the crew had guns, swords, and their own specialised weapons pointed either at Garp's ship or Garp himself. Slowly, the old marine straightened up, glaring around at the pirates. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were his brats, dammit! As if he would let them continue on as pirates and be hunted by the world.

"Garp." Marco started, calling the marine's attention back to him, staring him evenly in the eye. "Let them be free, yoi...don't cage them because of your own insecurities."

Garp felt himself deflate. Cage them? No, he never wanted that. To be stripped of freedom is something he would never wish on anyone. But that didn't mean he was wrong! If they joined the marines they would be safe from the world...

"Garp."

Whitebeard had stood from his chair, moving over to the rails so he could look down onto the deck. His voice carried through the ship, causing Ace and Luffy to poke their heads around the doors, having been lured out of hiding when they noticed Sabo had left his hiding place. When they saw their brother on the floor with Marco standing over him they immediately abandoned their small safety of the doorway and ran to his side, glaring up through their fear at their Grandfather.

"They are my sons. They will be free here, and safe from anything the world could throw at them. With me they will never know the pain and fear of being caged ever again, and they will learn what it's like to have a guardian who will care and love them no matter what."

Garp turned to stare at the three boys he had raised, and for the first time in so many year he really tried to look at them.

Ace, with his unruly wavy hair and freckles he inherited from his beautiful mother. His unique silver-grey eyes that shone like his father's did, blown wide now in fear but when they flickered over to stare at Newgate a strange wonder filled them, as if he didn't believe a person could ever care for him that deeply. Had he really done that? Had he really been so focused on protecting his first grandson from the World that he became blinded to the pain he was causing him?

Sabo too, had that look on his face. Sweet, smart, sarcastic little Sabo who joined their little family one day and was there to stay forever. He could see Newgate's mark tattooed on the juncture of his neck and shoulder but for the first time he didn't see it as a brand, he saw it as the Whitebeard's did; a symbol that they belonged somewhere in the world.

And then Luffy, his only flesh-and-blood Grandson, the little boy that caused his son to come home, even if it was for a day; yet another father who begged him to hid his son from the government. He thought he could do to Luffy what he had failed to do for Dragon, but obviously he had failed him as well. He had left his baby grandson alone too many times and when Luffy had finally found someone who cared for him, Garp had taken him away. The Whitebeard's mark showed brightly on his right bicep, a tribute to Garp's failing as a grandfather.

Would it really be right to take them away, now they had found a home, just because he didn't want to have to support the men who wanted them dead?

Garp bit his lip before turning to look at Whitebeard.

"This isn't over Newgate. I will come visit them and any time I see something I don't like I will take them with me."

Whitebeard inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"I will not stop you from visiting them. But if you carry on with your abuse you will have all my sons and daughters ready to fight you."

With one final nod of acknowledgment Garp walked steadily towards the gangplank, determined not to look back at the three boys who were breaking his heart to them go. They would not see his tears, nor would he see theirs as their grandfather finally set them free.

**A/N: There we go everyone~ Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me whether you would like another bonus chapter, and what you would like to see in it~ R&R!**

**DragonFire Princess: ****Thank you~**

**Weird-Sunny-Chan****: Twas the night before Christmas and all through the ship, many sailors made merry, and drank till they tripped~ I can't do poetry. Yes they certainly are but he isn't suspecting anything at the moment~**

**DMCP****: I'm starting to think that's all people take from this story XD I'm glad you like it though. Luffy is such a loving child to his Mama and his Papa, why on earth would he mention them? ;p Oh my gosh, I hadn't even realised they were the names of the powerpuff girls when I wrote it but I'm really happy I chose those names now! 'No Regrets' is an amazing fic, I could go on all day about how much I love it but I'm very flattered you think this fic is anywhere near as good as it. And I'm honoured you kept on reading! Thank you so much!**

**yukiko hyuga-chan****: I try to update every Wednesday so here's an update for you! I love ASL so much; especially in fics were they have gotten to grow up together because it's really interesting how different circumstances change different characters. ...Psst, I love your profile pic...**

**Iris sundaraneedi****: I'm really looking forward to writing it~ hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Guest**** 1****: No he didn't...at least not yet~ Thank you very much, I like writing fluff scenes especially seeing as what's coming up...**

**Sarah132cs****: *sweats nervously* I-I'm not m-mean to him, hehehehehe... ****_it'snotlikehe'smyfavoritecharacteroranything..._**

**Guest**** 2****:Shiz what's Garp doing here! Abort! Abort!...sorry the laugh is the same as Garp's, I had to~ I didn't, it's just a happy coincidence. **

**Kid****: Ahh buttercups~ XD Thank you very much, I'll need it!**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan****: The Powerpuff thing was a coincidence, that's why their names don't match up with their personalities! Ace goes into a little bit of detail about his name but you're still going to have to wait for Sabo's to be revealed!**

**Reira-Layla****: I'm glad you liked his reaction; it was pretty hard to write and keep him in character! I'm glad you think so and I made up for it with this one which is my longest to date! **

**Please start your next chapter soon! You're such a meanie XP I understand that feeling, of course everyone interprets characters differently, it's ****_fanfiction_**** for a reason! And so what if you explain things in a way others might not understand? Until Oda gives us every single piece of background/character trait of a character I say we're free to play with them to our hearts content!**

**Thank you very much and I will try to pass everything XD**

**Krystal 'Demon' Sanate****: I'm not really any good at writing Omakes but if you really want to see it then hope I get enough positive response for the bonus chapter!**

**MissJenca****: I formally apologize for this coincidence claiming your life through cackling, you have my deepest condolences. Is there any way I can ease the pain of your passing? I'm glad you enjoyed though!**

**Olympian-King****: I didn't mean to! ****_Ohmygosh_**** if you ever did I would love to see it! Sorry for the added inspiration?**

**AaliyaIronHeart****: *update gets thrown at your face!* I'm glad you're liking all the fluff!**

**Kurogitsune Yue****: I'm glad you liked it~ You're going to have to wait and find out why Sabo is called buttercup~ I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**TheCaptainOfShips****: *grins evilly***

**JadeOccelo****t: Ace may be a little thick at times but the crew are steadily wearing away the ways around his heart. I enjoyed writing Marco and Luffy, Mama Pineapple's got to take care of the crew's baby right? A lot of people want to see that, I'm even considering drawing it as well as writing the scene in the bonus chapter XD**

**Phonenix****: Well even though it was accidental I'm glad you got to reminisce good memories~**


	10. Bonus Chapter 2: Build me up Buttercup

**A/N: So, there were a lot of Sabo requests in this chapter so I hope you don't mind too much~ This is the second bonus chapter to celebrate almost 150 reviews, almost 300 followers, and almost 230 favourites! This is incredible you guys, and seeing as the next update day is Christmas Eve, guess what that chapter is going to be about?**

**Also, quick warning: there is an author's rant at the end of this chapter. I'm sorry but it's been a long time coming thing. If you want to skip over it fine, just don't be surprised if you do the thing I rant about and I completely ignore you.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and that the weather is warmer where you are!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece :'(**

It was dark as Ace ran through the forest.

The rain poured down on him, soaking his shirt as he ran, desperate, towards the bandits hut. He wouldn't have noticed his shirt get soaked anyway; his little brother's blood had already saturated his shirt with its dark red taint. He tried not to get too panicked when he jumped over a log and Luffy didn't give any recognition to the fact he was almost thrown off of Ace's back.

Ace tightened his grip and kept on running, worried beyond desperation for his little brother. It was his fault Luffy was like this. What kind of brother refused to help his weaker, much more vulnerable, little brother? An awful one that's what.

...Sabo would never have let Luffy face that bear...

...Sabo would never have refused Luffy's request for help...

...Sabo would never have let his anger get the best of him...

Unwanted, a tear escaped his eyes as thought of his dead brother clouded his mind and he had to choke down a sob. Sabo was dead and Luffy may join him soon; all because Ace was a stupid, self-righteous idiot who thought he knew better than his little brother and now, because of a stupid mistake, he might never get to see his baby brother smile at him anymore.

Finally the bandit hut loomed out of the grey sheets of rain, lighting illuminating the clearing around it, shedding harsh beams of white light on their own countries. Ace ignored both of them. He ran straight to the front door of Dadan's country, hammering on the door with his fist; yelling harshly for the bandits to come and help them, panic and terror lacing his voice.

But it wasn't a bandit that opened the door.

Instead, a tall man dressed in a long, dark cloak that cast his face in shadows. All that Ace could see of his face was the red tribal tattoos that stood out harshly on the left side of his face. Warily, Ace took a step back, holding his pipe out in front of him as he tried to hide Luffy from the strangers view. There was no way he was letting this man near Luffy...but at the same time his brother needed medical attention and he needed it right now!

"Where are the bandits?" he growled, staring fearlessly up at the man who towered over him. A flash of lighting illuminated that man's wide eyes. They didn't stay visible long enough for Ace to gauge the man's intentions but he caught a flash of that strange emotion that Makino sometimes looked at them with.

"They are inside." A deep, gravelly voice echoed from inside of the hood as the stranger stepped aside, allowing the ten year old access to the hut. "Magra is taking care of the other boy but I can do that if the one on your back is injured."

Other boy? What other boy? Ace barely had time to ponder whether Garp had decided to pawn another child off on the bandits as he hurried inside yelling for Magra to come out and help Luffy. If Luffy didn't get treated...he would die and leave Ace all alone again. He couldn't lose another little brother, not now. It had barely been two months since Sabo died, he couldn't lose his last brother so soon after that.

Finally Magra was there and he carefully brought Luffy into their bedroom, getting to work immediately on the gaping wound across his chest, working tirelessly in the battle to save Luffy's life. Ace retreated to the wall and slid down it as his knees gave way as more of his baby brother's blood stained Magra's clothes and spread across the floor. There was too much blood, far too much of it. Ace moved to cradle his head in his hands only to stare in horror and the red that tarnished his fingers. He was suddenly very aware that the back of his shirt was sticky with drying blood and he struggled to get it off only to fling it on the other side of the room.

The strange man was hovering over a small bundle on the far side of the room, looking over occasionally whenever Luffy let out little whimpers of pain. The stranger passed Ace another shirt which he quickly pulled on to hide his shivering as he hid his face in his knees. This was all his fault, he was an awful older brother. If Sabo was here he would tell Ace off so badly for this. Luffy was their precious baby brother and Sabo had asked him to protect him. Letting him go up alone against that bear that even the Tiger Lord viewed as a rival, did not count as protecting him; more like sending him to an early grave.

Tears started to streak down his face as he watched Magra bandage Luffy up gently, trying to cause as least pain as possible. Magra stared down at the little boy as he pulled the thickest blankest they had over the bandaged form.

"That wound was no joking matter. He might have died if the cut was a little bit deeper." He murmured, turning to look at Ace, concerned when he noticed the boys shaking shoulders and tear streaked face. "You three fought those beasts together, didn't you?"

Ace broke down into sobs, not even caring that Magra and a stranger were seeing him break down.

"It's all my fault... I knew it doesn't prove that you're strong by fighting on your own!" he choked out, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes, trying to stem the tears that persistently poured down his face. "I'm not good enough...I'm not good enough at all!"

"Ace..." Magra smiled softly at the crying boy, watching his breakdown with concerned and caring eyes. That poor boy had been strong on his own for far too long, and it was only when his two lights were almost gone that he realised he didn't want to be strong on his own anymore.

"I'm sorry Luffy...I'm sorry..." he sobbed, turning grief stricken eyes to his brother's form, a flash a lightening illuminating Luffy's pain stricken face. The stranger jerked his head to look at him in what might have been shock but Ace was too grief-stricken to care.

A groan rose from the bundle in the corner causing the stranger to cross the room and kneel down next to it, running his fingers through the short blonde hair that was mostly covered by bandages.

"...never thought I'd see the day you'd apologize..." came a raspy voice from the bundle.

Ace froze. He knew that voice. Though it may be raspy and slow from misuse there was no mistaking that slightly teasing tone that his blonde brother used to use on him. But Sabo was dead! There was no way that that bundle of blankets, bandages, and curly blonde hair should be able to speak with his brother's voice. He staggered to his feet and stumbled over to the corner of the room, paling with every step he took.

Bandages covering the left side of his face, wrapped tightly around his forehead and chest, twinning around his arms and disappearing under the blankets. Slight curls had grown out as his hair hadn't been cut in several months, falling over his ears slightly. But Ace couldn't tear his eyes away from the deep blue orbs that stared up at him, amusement and worry flickering through them.

"...S-Sabo?"

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXX**

"What's wrong Sabo?"

A sweet gentle voice alerted the blonde child that he was no longer alone in the clearing outside Dadan's hut. It had been three months since he had been returned to his brothers by the man who saved his life. And it was only as of this week that Magra had cleared him to be allowed outside. He still couldn't move a lot without it hurting and he still had to have his bandages changed frequently but at last he could feel the warm sun of his pale skin, feel the gentle coolness of the wind, and smell the earthy forest all around him.

He tilted his head back slightly to see Makino's smiling face and concerned eyes leaning over him. They had all been worried about him recently. Ever since he was allowed to go outside it seemed like they were all afraid he was going to break apart into dust if they left him alone for too long. While he was grateful for the company he still wasn't used to people worrying so much over him, especially Ace.

When he had first woken up in the familiar bedroom and heard crying he had assumed it was Luffy. But it was Ace instead. He had never thought he would ever see his brother cry, and now that he had seen it he would do anything in his power to make sure it never happened again. Ace hovered constantly around them now, if he wasn't beside Sabo helping with recovery he would be next to Luffy, helping their little brother with any problem he seemed to be having.

Sabo could barely believe that in two short months Ace's attitude towards their youngest had done a complete 180.

"I'm fine Makino-san." He tried to smile up at the kind bartender, ignoring the slight pain he got whenever he moved the muscles in his left cheek. Apparently he was going to have a pretty impressive burn scar over that eye and he would have to be very careful when taking those bandages off in case the sudden light blinded that eye permanently.

"I'm just enjoying being outside again."

Makino smiled down at him before sitting down in the grass, folding her skirt beneath her as she settled down beside the wounded child.

"You three boys were bandages like their fashion statements." She remarked as they watched Ace chase Luffy back towards the hut least he hurt himself trying to climb the nearby banana trees. He had almost managed to split his head open on the sharp rocks falling from a tree yesterday and Ace didn't seem to want to tempt fate fr the second time that week.

"We get a lot of injuries. It can't be helped sometimes."

"Oh?"

"We have to get stronger to protect ourselves."

"...you shouldn't need too." Makino whispered, looking out at the laughing raven haired brothers with a sad look in her eyes. "No child should have to protect themselves; that's what adults are for."

"But who would protect us?" Sabo pointed out reasonably, or so he thought. Ace was an orphan and he didn't know anything about whether Luffy's parents were alive or dead. His parents only cared about what he could get them, not about protecting him.

"Shanks-san would have." Makino answered with a small smile directed to the startled blonde. "He would have loved you and Ace-kun just as much as he loved Luffy. He would have let you have your childhoods back." She sighed delicately before standing up again and crossing over to the trees on the far side of the clearing, bending down to observe the flowers that were hidden in the undergrowth.

Sabo had often wondered about the red-haired man in passing, only sparing a thought for him whenever Luffy went on and on about how he wanted to grow strong enough to beat him one day and become pirate king. And given the amount of time Luffy talked about his dream, he found himself thinking a lot about that man.

Would Shanks really have taken him and Ace under his wing, like he had with Luffy? Sometimes he doubted it, given who they were; Ace, the son of the Pirate King, and him, son of good-for-nothing nobles. They had done nothing to make them even remotely interesting to the pirate and any other pirate they met wanted to either use them or separate them. Apart from old man Naguri, who actually helped them despite knowing Ace was Roger's son. Would Shanks have acted the same way? There wasn't any way that the pirate captain hadn't heard of Roger, so how would he have treated his sons? Or would being Luffy's brother give them immunity against their other sins?

Sabo looked up with a groan. It was too early to be thinking such things. Besides, it was in the past now. There was no point in thinking about how Shanks might have treated them. There was little, to no chance of actually meeting the man; not matter how much they may want to thank him for everything he did for their baby brother.

Ace had told him his plan; how he wanted to find Shanks and thank him. He had even offered to write a letter to him when he finally found the man's where-a-bouts in case Sabo wanted to thank him too. Of course Sabo had agreed to it, knowing that without Shanks Luffy wouldn't be with them and Ace wouldn't have found his little ball of sunshine. The change Luffy had brought out in Ace made Sabo more thankful towards Shanks than ever before. He didn't think he could bear the thought of Ace returning to that broken, hurting shell of a person that he had been since he first starting asking about Roger's son.

And it was enlightening to see the protective, caring side of Ace grow more and more each day now that he had two little brothers to care for again (they had compared birthdays a week after Sabo could stay conscious for more than a few minutes. Ace was annoyingly older by two months). And now that he had had a taste of what life was like without his brothers, he didn't ever want to part with them again; which is why Sabo was now considering whether it would really be such a bad thing to sail under Ace's flag. He could think up a plausible reason for Luffy to come with them, at least until he was seventeen and needed to start his own voyage.

A bright gleam of yellow broke him out of his revelry as his little brother held up a poorly made flower crown with a wide proud grin.

"Buttercups!" he chirped in triumph, placing the dainty yellow flowers carefully on his head. "They match your hair!" he giggled before getting up and running towards where Ace was getting apples for them to snack on.

Makino came back over to him, giggling lightly behind her hand as she rearranged the wreath of flowers into a better position on his head.

"Buttercups always make me happy." She confided with a wink and a glance towards the giggling black haired child and his chuckling older brother. Sabo watched them with wistful eyes, wishing he could get up and join them, or go hunting, or train even!

He just wanted to do something! He turned back to Makino, hopeful for the chance that she might alleviate his boredom slightly. Otherwise he would start reciting the dictionary in his head and no one (especially not him) wanted that.

"I thought they were supposed to be childish? That's why nobles hate them so much. That and they're so common."

Makino hummed in acknowledgement, twirling a buttercup gently in her hand before tucking it carefully behind his ear.

"I know that, my sweet little Buttercup. But sometimes you need a little childishness in your life to make it exciting." With that she dropped a caring kiss to the top of his head before going inside to start making dinner for the children and bandits.

Sabo stared after her. No-one had ever done that to him; kissed his head and told him it was okay to be a child. His father was always telling him to act more like an adult and his mother would never even think about showing affection to her son. For the first time since the fire, tears built in his eyes from something that wasn't pain as his heart glowed inside of him from the small affection that a mother would give.

Although she had called him Buttercup, Makino had just done something his blood mother never would. She showed she cared.

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXX**

"Soo..." Sabo whistled, watching the approaching crossdresser with nervous eyes. He was currently sat in Izo's room on the stool beside his dressing table, looking around in both fear and curiosity. "...you want to give me a makeover?"

Izo nodded with a smile, not even bothering to look remorseful for kidnapping the blonde.

"I've wanted to for a while actually." He revealed, crossing over to his dresser and browsing through the different pots and tubes of makeup that he owned, setting some things aside to be used later and frowning at others. "You have a wonderful face shape and your hair is beautiful."

He turned and pulled lightly on one of Sabo's curls, watching it spring back into place with delight.

"I would kill to have naturally curly hair."

Sabo smiled lightly and pulled at his bangs slightly before trying to tuck them behind his ear.

"It can be really annoying though. It's difficult to get knots out and it does its own thing regardless of what I want it to do." He complained with a huff, causing Izo to laugh lightly. The amount of times he had wanted to shave it all off was getting ridiculous now. But everytime he went to pick up the scissors Luffy would pull out the puppy dog eyes and he would relent not to cut his hair off (Luffy said his hair made him look like Ace; both of them knew by now not to trust Luffy when it came to his opinion on appearances.)

"Everyone's hair is like that Sabo."

"Besides" he went on, ignoring Izo's words for the moment "wouldn't it be hard to put your hair in your normal style if you had curly hair?"

Izo ran a finger along his straight, shiny black locks, acknowledging that Sabo had a point. One of the reasons he was able to twist and fold his hair into elaborate styles was because it was so straight.

"I suppose so. But I could look cute with curly hair rather than just beautiful."

"So, are you going to make me look cute?" Sabo asked with a nervous grin. While he was curious about how Izo could use make up to change how he looked, he could also clearly remember the shrieks that came from his mother's bedroom anytime she had to put make up. So call him apprehensive when it came to this stuff.

Izo looked at him in contemplation, taking his chin in his hand and tilting Sabo's face this way and that, examining every part of his looks. Sabo tried not to feel like a specimen in a lab to be examined before it was experimented on.

"There are so many looks you could suit." Izo said at last, pouting at him slightly. "I know a certain look that would make you adorable, but at the same time some smokey eye makeup and blood red lipstick and you'd look like a temptress straight out a fairy tale."

Sabo stared at him with wide, terrified eyes. "You are not putting smoke in my eyes or painting my lips with blood!" That sounded like something out of a horror novel he had read once.

Izo looked at him for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. For all the blonde's knowledge, it really shouldn't surprise Izo that he didn't know a thing about make up.

"They're techniques and colours." He explained with a smile. "I'm not going to torture you."

"Sounds like it." Sabo muttered before staring anxiously at the silver pair of tweezers Izo know held in his hand. "What are you going to do with those?"

"Pluck your eyebrows." Izo explained simply as he bent over and tilted Sabo's face upwards so he could get easier access to his face. "I've just thought of an amazing look for you so I'm going to get started. We have to prepare your face for the makeup first."

And with that brief explanation Izo started to pluck at Sabo's eyebrows, causing the blonde under him to yelp in pain.

"That hurts!" He exclaimed, pulling away from the tweezers with a frown.

"It doesn't after a while." Izo said crossly, trying to get access to Sabo's face again, only for Sabo to start squirming away, shaking his head vigorously.

"No, it hurts."

"Oh stop squirming."

"No, not until you take those away."

"But I need to do your eyebrows."

"Then forget the makeover."

"Listen hear Buttercup, I want to do this so you're just going to have to sit here and deal, alright?" Izo said in a low voice, glaring slightly at the pouting boy.

"This is blackmail." He whined before permitting Izo to continue, letting out yelps of pain as the eyebrow plucking continued, leaving his skin red and sore; but his eyebrows did look neater and they certainly enhanced the shape of his eyes and brow bone. Sabo noticed Izo's smug look in the mirror and shot him an annoyed glare. The crossdresser simply laughed.

"See how much taking care of one little thing can change about your whole face?" He asked, smiling lightly. Even just a small change like this brought out an aristocratic look, almost a royal look about his features; like a handsome prince in a fairytale rather than the perverted, twisted nobles of the real world.

Sabo turned to look over his shoulder at Izo with a small smile.

"Work your magic then good sir." He said with a small chuckle, leaning back and letting Izo continue his work. This time Izo was moisturising his skin. Trying to ignore how cold it was (and how much it felt like slime) Sabo decided to ask Izo some questions to take his mind off the slightly unpleasant feeling.

"Why do you need to 'prepare' your face before you put make up on?"

Izo sighed as he tried to think of a way he could explain it to a complete make up novice, rubbing the moisturiser into Sabo's face in soothing circles, cooling the enflamed skin around his eyebrows.

"Well if you don't moisturise your skin then the makeup is most likely to come off during the day, or not give as much coverage. It's important to keep moisture in your skin or it will dry out, crack, and cause many different skin problems." Izo explained patiently, wiping his hands on a towel to get rid of the excess moisturiser before pining up the rest of his hair that he usually let loose. He didn't want any to get in the makeup after all.

Sabo looked up at the other man as he felt the moisture dry off his face.

"When did you start using makeup?"

Izo turned to look at him with a serious expression on his face, bringing over a pot of primer and a slim brush. He carefully dipped the brush in the pot, careful not to take too much, and started to brush it gently onto Sabo's face.

"When I was around fourteen I think."

He carefully guided the brush to every contour of Sabo's face, sweeping over his high cheekbones, the soft temples, and the angled jaw; paying special attention to the scar over his left eye. As someone who delighted in beauty, it was a rare privilege and a cherished moment when one of his crewmates agreed to a makeover (even if he was technically blackmailing Sabo into doing this.) There was something amazing about being able to see every feature in a person's face close up and know there was a story behind every mark. With Pops' wrinkles there was a story in every crease, a tale behind Thatch's scar, an anecdote to every shadow in Ace's eyes that clouded the liquid silver.

Izo wondered what had happened to Sabo to get such a scar. It was a burn mark; that was easy to see by the shiny red texture of his skin. Izo didn't need to be a doctor to know it was a miracle Sabo could still see out of it. Did it happen when the Celestial Dragon shot at him? Or was it a stray shot gone horribly wrong when Ace was first starting to use his devil fruit?

"Why?"

Izo jolted out of his musings, staring straight into Sabo's dark, navy blue eyes.

"Why what?"

"Why did you start wearing makeup?"

Izo quickly set down the pot of primer, picking up several of his foundations and testing them against Sabo's wrist.

"It's complicated. My mother was a geisha so I was surrounded with beauty since I was born. I always enjoyed watching my mother get ready for work and she taught me many things although I was a boy. But one time one of her customers was under the wrong impression of what a geisha was and when she refused his demands he burned her face. Not even make up could hide the scarring."

Sabo put his hand on top of Izo's, calming the shaking in his fingers that he didn't realize had started.

"Sorry." Sabo apologized, eyes shining with guilt. "I didn't mean to drag up bad memories."

"It's fine. It happened a long time ago." Izo reassured, turning his attention back to what his was doing, selecting the foundation that had matched Sabo's skin tone.

"Normally tans make people look healthier but at the moment your tan is just annoying me." He commented, trying to change the subject and to his relief Sabo smiled slightly, guilt easing away from his eyes. Sabo chuckled slightly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. It wasn't his fault his skin tanned easily.

Izo quickly pinned back Sabo's bangs with some bobby pins, not wanting them to get in the way or get covered in makeup. He carefully started to spread the foundation over his face, making sure to get an even coverage as he carefully covered the burn scar. It took several coats of foundation to cover it completely but when Izo stood back to admire his work you could hardly tell there used to be a scar there at all. If Sabo looked handsome before the scar was covered, he looked angelic now. Izo was almost convinced he should leave the makeup like that. He quickly covered the mirror when Sabo went to look, ignoring the whine that followed; he wanted him to be surprised when he had finished.

He quickly set to work pencilling in Sabo's eyebrows, being extra careful around the left one in case he rubbed away the foundation. He carefully put a tissue under his eye to catch any excess eye shadow before carefully patting down some pale pink shadow onto the lid, concentrating on the area around the inside corner. Gently sweeping a bright matte violet into the crease from the outer corner he finished the look with a deep shimmery midnight blue extending up to the brow bone, blending the colours together carefully.

"I'm going to line your eyes now and apply mascara." Izo warned him, holding up a gold eyeliner pencil for Sabo to inspect. Seeing the fear return to his younger friend's eyes, he quickly tried to reassure him.

"Its fine, it's not painful. I won't do your waterline and I won't do under your eye either."

Sabo still looked tense but he carefully closed his eyes, resigning himself to pain. It didn't come. Izo carefully spread a thin line over the top lid, giving him a slight cat's-eye flick at the outer corner.

"You're going to have to open your eyes for the mascara." Izo instructed, smiling reassuringly when his eyes opened to show his dread at that suggestion.

"Can't we just skip the mascara?" he pleaded, not wanting the bristled wand anywhere near his eyes. Unfortunately for him, Izo shook his head.

"You have very fine, very light eyelashes. I can hardly see them as it is."

Sabo sighed before nodding in understanding, opening his eyes as wide as he could as Izo moved in with the wand.

"Keep looking up at the ceiling, that way you won't see the wand that much."

Izo gently started applying the mascara, moving away occasionally when Sabo needed to blink, astonished at how long his eyelashes actually were. They were long and feathery looking, curling slightly upwards and now that Izo could actually see them he was slightly envious of them.

"Will you stop being beautiful?" he teased as he finally retracted the wand for good, placing it back on to the dresser to join the rest of his makeup. Izo didn't give him a chance to reply as he quickly peeled off the tissue, deposited it in the bin and carefully started applying blush to the apples of his cheeks. After a thin layer of blush was applied he quickly started sweeping bronzer under his cheekbones, defining them even more. The last thing Izo did to Sabo's face was a quick coat of dark red lipstick.

"Can I look in the mirror now?" Sabo asked with a raised eyebrow. He really wanted to see what he looked like now, given Izo expertise with makeup.

"No." Said Izo, taking out the bobby pines and letting his curls fall back into place framing his face. "You agreed to a full makeover so that's what I'm going to give you."

"What does the full makeover involved?" Sabo asked, slightly apprehensive about what else Izo might have in store for him.

"Hair, nails, clothes...the full works really." Izo explained with a casual shrug, picking up a brush and running it through the golden curls. Curious, he took one of the curls in his fingers before lightly pulling on it until it reached its full length. To his surprise it came down to just over Sabo's shoulder blades.

"Have you ever thought of straightening your hair?" he asked into the shocked silence.

"N-no." Spluttered Sabo. "And what do you mean clothes? I won't fit anything you give me."

Izo smirked, not that Sabo could see it.

"I still have some of my old clothes and I can adjust some others to fit you. That's the fun thing about makeovers, trying and finding an outfit that you can pull off really well."

Sabo seemed to struggle with the idea for a little longer before letting out a defeated sigh.

"Just not a kimono. I don't think I can pull it off as well as you can."

Izo laughed lightly, patting him on the head as he pinned the right side of his bangs back to his ear with a bobby pin, letting the hair curve slightly around his face. He quickly turned his attention to Sabo's nails, filing them quickly into rounded tips, making sure to make both sides equal. Taking a look at the eye makeup, he quickly chose a sparkly blue nail varnish which was a brighter shade than the one on his eyes. After applying two coats (and threatening Sabo not to touch them until Izo judged them dry) Izo quickly crossed over to the wardrobe and started rummaging through it.

Kimonos were out; Izo didn't want to lend him one in the first place in case it got damaged. He pulled out a deep blue dress that Thatch had got him as joke for Christmas once (he certainly felt in the festive spirit when he was using the dress as a noose for the red-haired cook). It was a high cut dress made out of a slightly stretchy material and had cute, quarter length sleeves that changed material at the ends, billowing out in floaty, shimmering blue chiffon. The shirt of the dress was similar, only the chiffon was overlaid on top of the deep blue of the underskirt which only came to his knees. Sequins were placed tastefully around the neckline and beads were sewn into the skirt so the glittered when the light hit them.

Izo looked over and saw Sabo was not paying attention so he carefully placed the dress back into his wardrobe. Maybe for a different occasion. He was sure he could collect enough blackmail for if they ever went to a party island and he wanted someone to dress up with.

He supposed with the intense makeup Sabo had then perhaps a simple outfit would be better, so as to highlight his face yet compliment his body. With some consideration he picked out a pair of short dark blue denim shorts and a plain linen shirt. With the bagginess of the shirt and the thigh length shorts this outfit would also show off the blonde's fantastic legs as well.

Sabo didn't even try to fight it. As soon as the nail polish was dry he quickly slipped on the clothes, noting how bare his neck felt now as the collar of the linen shirt was so wide it barely fit on his shoulders. Izo quickly arranged the shirt so that it was more securely fitted on him, making it so his ASL tattoo was visible for everyone to see.

Izo gazed at it for a moment, remembering how confused he was when Sabo had come to him early in the morning and asked for that tattoo to be done. Now he could understand it and he understood the sentiment of it as well.

"Behind every letter there's your nicknames." He observed, tracing the delicate edges of the buttercup's petals. Sabo merely nodded, shivering slightly under Izo's touch.

"Are you ticklish?" Izo asked, glee dancing in the dark eyes.

"Not as much as Luffy." Sabo confessed with a small grin, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

Izo chuckled, storing that information away for later use as he headed towards the door.

"Are you ready to show you're brothers how beautiful you look?" he questioned with a grin.

"Not before I know what I look like first." Retorted Sabo with a grin, moving over and uncovering the mirror, grin slipping slightly as he took in his reflection.

He was beautiful. The blue in his eyes shone brightly, highlighted by the shimmering shadows that coated his lids. His skin was perfect, his scar was perfectly hidden, and his face looked almost feminine. Scratch that, he did look feminine.

"Do you like it?"

Izo was slightly taken aback at how nervous he sounded as he watched Sabo gaze it his reflection. He didn't realise how important this was to him, having thought of it at first as something fun to do but know he realised he wanted Sabo to like how he looked, so that maybe he wouldn't have to blackmail him if he wanted to do this again.

"I love it." Sabo replied, turning to look at him with a sunny smile, walking forward to meet him at the door. "Let's go shock the masses."

Izo smiled at him before opening the door, heading out first to see Ace, Luffy, Thatch, Marco, Haruta, and for some reason Fossa standing outside. With a beaming smile he stepped aside to reveal Sabo to his grinning brothers.

Luffy gasped, Ace spluttered, Thatch choked, Haruta wolf-whistled, Fossa blushed bright pink, and Marco simply raised an eyebrow before turning to Izo.

"We're never letting you near him again, yoi."

"Why not?" Izo pouted, sulking slightly.

"He's too damn pretty that's why!" yelled Fossa, staring at Sabo with incredulous eyes. "We'll be chasing away admirers day and night."

"Sabo looks amazing!" cheered Luffy, tackling him in a hug and staring up at him with sparkling eyes. Sabo laughed; happy his little brother seemed to like Izo's hard work.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Ace by his side, staring intently into his face. At his enquiring look, Ace just grinned.

"You really are too pretty for your own good little brother. You look beautiful."

Sabo blushed but grinned proudly at his brother's compliment, knowing that Ace didn't hand out compliments freely.

"All who vote for Sabo to never go out in public like that say 'Aye'" Thatch yelled, hand flying into the air.

"Aye" chorused the rest of them, except for Luffy and Izo, who just laughed and pouted respectively. Sabo chuckled, a wry grin stretching across his face.

"I'm not that nice to look at you lot. Besides, you let Izo walk around like this."

"Izo also has guns stuffed up his kimono." Thatch pointed out in a flat voice. "You can't exactly hide your bo staff dressed like that."

"Then I'll get Namur to teach me fishman karate." Sabo stuck out his tongue and headed towards the deck, shrugging off the embarrassment and smirking lightly at the dumbfounded expressions of the other crewmembers as he passed. He ignored the others calling after him as he headed off to find Namur. He wasn't even sure why he was so adamant about being allowed to wear makeup outside of the Moby Dick's deck; if he had his way he'd never wear makeup again!

...But it had made Izo happy to give someone else a makeover. And Sabo was genuinely surprised and delighted with the crossdresser work. Izo could have made him look like an okama but he hadn't. The makeup was tasteful, not over the top, and it was something Sabo would wear if he had any clue how to.

Plus, they were all acting like he couldn't take care of himself!

He and Ace had been defending Luffy from perverts for years now; he knew how to tell if a creepy old guy was perving on him and if that happened he would have no qualms over castrating him with a rusty spoon and forcing his pancreas to come out of his mouth.

...That may be a tad bit violent but it would get his point across. He was not just a pretty face and he could handle any pervert that came calling as long Izo was happy and continued giving him makeovers.

...He just needed to remember to ask for nail polish remover in the evening.

**XXXXLINE BREAKXXXXX**

The old geezers visit had come as an unexpected interruption to their scheming.

Which of course, gave Thatch an even more valid reason to bring down well-humoured hell onto his unsuspecting siblings (Ace had informed him that not all of them were unsuspecting but he could work around that).

His poor, poor brothers and sisters were most likely traumatised by that crazy old fart's visit and needed something to take their minds off of it!

Thatch quickly went and directed Ace towards the third division sleeping hall while he went to grab some more supplies from the kitchen. Ace would distract Jozu (one of the more suspicious of his brothers) while setting up one of the prepared pranks they had planned for the day. He certainly hoped Ace didn't forget whose clothes were whose.

He swiftly made his way through the kitchen, glad that as he was the head chef he didn't attract any suspicious looks. The cupboards of unending supplies were thrown open in gleeful anticipation as Thatch loaded up on supplies, repressing the urge to start giggling maniacally (that was more Ace's style).

Ahh whipped cream, chocolate syrup, food dye, and honey, how he loved them so.

Managing to slip the items into his clothes was made easy with all his extra layers. The cans and tubs slipped effortlessly into the folds of his many jumpers and his warm, fluffy coat. He was suddenly even more glad that he went to gather the edible supplies. There was no way Ace could have concealed all these cans in his shorts, and he was more likely to eat them before he returned to the third divisions sleeping halls.

After everything Jozu did to stand up to Garp this may have been a bit unfair to him, but at the same time, he and Ace had been planning this for ages and they were not letting their hard work go to waste by switching targets at the last hurdle. He met Ace outside the doorway to the third sleeping halls, grinning at the thumbs up the other prankster gave him.

First step of the operation was complete: clear the room and plant the replacement clothes.

"How'd you clear the area?" he asked curiously as Ace wrapped his scarf tighter around his face with a wink.

"Stink bomb." He explained with a wide grin, causing Thatch's face to beam with pride. His little brother was growing up. "Oh, and I also raised the temperature so it smells of baked rotten eggs now, so be careful!"

Thatch nodded in understanding, glad now that his scarf was restricting his sense of smell so much. A stink bomb was bad, but to bake it as well? That was borderline harsh. Thatch braced himself before he entered the dark domain of the third divisions sleeping quarters.

First thing that struck him (as it always did) was how much neater it was than his own. It was nowhere near the meticulously clean thirteenth division, or the colour coded organisation the sixteenth division boasted. But it was a heck of a lot cleaner than the second division and the twelve division quarters. Then again any division was cleaner than those two. The second didn't have a commander to tell them to clean up after themselves and the twelve had Haruta as a commander and she really couldn't be bothered to yell at her division to clean up for once. Plus she liked the chaos in the morning the mess caused.

Thatch quickly crossed through the dead air towards the hammocks and started coating the ropes in sticky chocolate syrup. The best thing about this syrup is that it congealed if left in the open air for too long; leaving a very sticky, very tacky glue like substance that would act as an immediate adhesive to anyone who touched it.

He made sure to check the clothes trunks, glad that Ace had made the shirts easy to reach for him. He carefully picked them up, grinning at Haruta's amazing job. The sleeve holes of every shirt sleeve had been sewn up inconspicuously so you could no longer put your arm through it. He quickly went around to every shirt, filling each sleeve with whipped cream and carefully laying the shirt back in the chest so as not to deflate the cream.

He snuck into the joined bathrooms and carefully added the red, blue, green, and yellow food dye to each bar of soap, making sure not to spare one single one so that when his siblings tried to wash off all the syrup and cream they would be dyed pretty colours. Then he slipped back to the main quarters and looked around, carefully planning his route around the large, spacious room.

Thatch carefully started to pour the honey on the clean wooden floor, spreading it like a golden varnish across the ground as he backed up towards the door so he didn't get caught in it. He felt slightly sorry for all his brothers that walked around barefoot. That honey would be disgusting between their toes.

Ace was still waiting outside the doorway when Thatch was done.

"All the other clothes have been successfully hidden commander." Ace reported with a grin, eyes sparkling in glee as he straightened from where he was leaning on the wall.

"Good job." Thatch grinned, gesturing for the raven haired teen to follow him out on to the main deck and wait for the shenanigans to unfold.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXXX**

"Aaaaaace!" Luffy whined, pulling on his older brother's arm as he tried to drag him to Izo's room. "I want pretty nails like Sabo!"

"Then go see Izo by yourself!" Ace flailed, trying to peel his brother's clingy fingers off his wrist and failing miserably. Any time he would make even the slightest bit of leeway Luffy would simply stretch his fingers and wrap them around his wrist in tighter coils. "At least take Sabo with you instead of me!"

Luffy pouted, turning his head to stare up at Ace with wide, hurt eyes. "Sabo won't go near Izo in case he does his nails again. And you heard him when he was in Izo's room, I don't want to get hurt."

Ace sighed, biting his lip as he noticed they were getting closer and closer to the older male's room. He really didn't want to risk Izo painting his nails as well as Luffy's. It's not that he didn't think Sabo's nails were pretty, but he really didn't want his nails to be sparkly dots of bright colour. Call him old fashioned, but he liked his nails to be their natural colour.

Almost as if he sensed their approach, Izo opened his door with a delighted smirk, eyeing them both like a scientist about to dissect a frog.

"Well, what can I do for you boys?"

"I want pretty nails like Sabo!" cheered Luffy, staring up at the taller man with a beaming smile and wide, pleading eyes. Ace struggled a little more, hoping Luffy's shift in attention might get him to release his arm...no such luck.

Instead, Izo ushered both brothers inside before gliding over to his dresser and looking through his numerous nail polishes.

"Do you want glittery red nails Luffy?" he asked with a smirk, looking intently at the bottle held in his hand. The red polish glimmered and twisted in its glass confines, the glitter shifting the shades of red as the light filter through it.

Luffy cheered in delight, nodding his head enthusiastically at the thought of his nails being his favourite colour. That would be so cool! Sabo got his favourite colour done too now that he thought about it. A sudden pull on his arm forced his attention to the floor as his brother's narcolepsy said hello in the most (un)convenient timing.

Izo chuckled slightly as he watched his brother sleep on the floor, picking up a neon orange nail polish that Haruta had given him as a gift, before moving towards the sleeping teenager.

"Can you hold his hands up?" Izo asked, carefully unscrewing the lid of the liquid orange. "I'll do your nails after I do his."

Luffy agreed, pouting slightly at having to wait but happy to help his new brother make his other big brother pretty. Izo carefully brushed on the neon fire, making sure that it was as neat as possible before lying Ace's hands down flat against the floor.

"We need to let them dry." He explained as he led Luffy towards his dresser chair, forcing the younger boy to sit down. "Can you stay still while I paint your nails?"

"Sure." Luffy chirped, stretching his hand to pick up one of the bottles on the dresser, only to get smacked in the head by Izo who was wearing a disapproving scowl.

"Stay still." With that order Izo set to work. The glittering rubies quickly and carefully covered his nails, twinkling merrily in the sunlight streaming through the window. Izo carefully blew on each nail as he finished, speeding up the drying process and occasionally swatting Luffy's leg when he started to twitch. It was only when Izo had finished with the last pinkie finger that Ace woke from his beauty sleep.

Ace stared groggily around, staring at Luffy's glimmering deep red nails with a blank look. Luffy grinned proudly and stretched his hands so that Ace could see them better.

"Look Ace, I have pretty nails like you and Sabo now!"

"They look good Lu." Ace smiled lightly before the rest of Luffy's sentence caught up with him and he stared down at his hands in horror. All ten of them had neon orange nails. Slowly he tilted his head up to glare at hi straw-hat wearing brother, his own hat shadowing his eyes.

"Run. Now." He growled, sprinting to his feet as Luffy dashed out the door, giggling like a madman. It took two weeks for Sabo's nails to start chipping! And now because of Luffy he was going to be stuck with orange nails for two weeks minimum.

"At least they weren't pink." Izo called after him, laughter dancing in his voice as he watched the fire-man chase the rubber-man down the corridor, screaming vengeance on his little brother. He loved being an older brother.

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXXX**

Brrrp. Brrrp. Brrrp. Brrrp.

The sound of his den den mushi cut through his hangover with piercing clarity. He fumbled slightly trying to find the damn thing to tell whoever was calling him to kindly fuck off when a smooth voice to his side distracted him.

"You need to stop drinking so much Red Hair. It's disgraceful to see you in such a state."

"Aww Hawky, no need to sound like you care so much." Chuckled Shanks as he dragged himself into a sitting position, ignoring the swirling of his head and the nausea of his stomach as he reached for a bottle of rum only to find, to his dismay, that it was empty.

"Why is the rum always gone?" he muttered, staring morosely into the bottle as if pleading with it would magically refill it.

"Maybe if you didn't feel the need to drink it all, it wouldn't be gone." Mihawk pointed out with a raised eyebrow, throwing a deeply annoyed look at the still ringing den den mushi. Whoever wanted the red-haired yonko really wanted him to answer it seemed.

Shanks rolled over on the sand with a groan, throwing his remaining arm over his eyes to block the sun as he tried to find the blasted snail. It was only when Mihawk had pointed it out to him with a scowl that Shanks finally managed to pick it up.

"Hello is this Red Hair Shanks?" a nasally voice emitted from the snail, grating unpleasantly against his quaking ear drums. Wincing, he sent a pleading look towards Mihawk, only to receive a stern, unimpressed raised eyebrow for his trouble.

"Depends who's asking." He grumbled, wishing he had a drink to make his hangover go away. Why was he celebrating last night again? Heck if he remembered now.

"The ones who have a certain straw hat of yours. If you do not dress in drag and do the funky chicken, then we will not return it to the boy you gave it to."

Shanks gaped at the snail, noticing it's perfect poker face. These people were not kidding; they had his straw hat and the only way they could have gotten it off of Luffy was to hurt the kid badly.

"You better not have done anything to Luffy." He hissed, glaring at the snail with poison in his gaze.

"Nothing has happened to the boy...unless you count making him sleep for twelve hours." The snail admitted with a slight smirk, almost as if the people on the other end delighted in having the Yonko mad at them.

"You have four hours to complete your challenge. Have your sniper send a picture to the Whitebeard Pirates and we'll know you have done as we have asked."

"What do the Whitebeard Pirates have to do with this?" Mihawk asked in a bored tone, stopping Shanks before he hung up and did something stupid.

"They have two worried older brothers on board, that's what they have to do with this."

With that the transmission cut off, leaving Shanks floundering around trying to find the required drag and trying to get Yasopp to wake up to take the required picture.

Meanwhile, on the Moby Dick...

A certain blond teenager and a certain brunette were huddled against each other, shaking with laughter. To the untrained eye it looked like they had broken down into hysterics for no reason and should probably go to see the nurses. To the trained eye however, they could see the brothers were actually huddled around a baby den den mushi, laughing their arses off.

"T-that was brilliant!" choked Ace, wiping the tears out of his eyes and gazing at his brother in admiration. "How can you do that with your voice?"

Sabo merely shrugged, a proud grin breaking through his hysterics.

"Do you think he'll actually do it?"

"God I hope so."

They dissolved into peals of laughter once more, leaning on each other for support at the mental images they were creating. While some men could pull off a dress (mainly Izo) some men really could not (mainly Shanks). Eventually the rest of the crew started to get nervous when the laughing didn't stop, so Marco and Thatch went to investigate.

"What's got you in the giggles, brats?" Thatch asked with a cheery smile, bending down to look at the two of them huddled on the floor. Instantly the innocent smiles were turned to him.

"We were just talking to Shanks." They chorused together with a delighted grin, standing up and bowing to Thatch in gratitude. "Thank you for giving us his den den mushi number."

With that they walked away whistling while Thatch had to deal with an annoyed Marco, scolding him for giving their little brothers that redhead's number.

**A/N: So that's the end of the second bonus chapter. And I want to address something that keeps cropping up in the reviews:**

**I plan out all my chapter before I even start writing the story. All the chapters are planned, with dates that they are coming out on. So if you want a chapter with Dragon, it's coming. If you want a big fight scene, it's coming. If you want Luffy tortured and killed, meh, that's not happening so much. If you really want a scene so badly that I have not already planned out, I will put it in a bonus chapter, that's the point of them; so you guys can still see the things you want to see but in this world. Because I love you guys and I want you to enjoy this story.**

**Yes there is a lot of fluff, and a bit of humour and yeah, there's not enough action at this point but remember: Ace still has a hard time believing that the Whitebeards will love and care for him like his brothers do, and while the crew is really protective there are other ways for that family love to shine through. The brothers need to build their bonds with their family before the protective sibling relationships can even start to become believable, even in a crew as protective as Whitebeard's. I'm sorry if it doesn't have enough action for all of you but this story is about the bonds the brothers form on their journey until Luffy's seventeenth, not fully the journey itself.**

**Okay, rant done.**

**I'll answer the reviews now. Sorry if you guys are annoyed now at having to read that rant, or if you've skipped over it. But I hope you enjoyed that chapter despite the rant at the end. R&R, please~**

**general yumi****- I love and hate Garp. He just wanted to keep his family safe but he went** **about it in all the wrong ways. I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

**Kiara97****- Thank you very much! Your English is very good, and I didn't pick up on any grammatical errors. I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so much. Sorry for the diabetes~ Hope you enjoy this chapter as well, danke!**

**Kronus96****- Thank you very much, and by the way, Sabo found what he was looking for: a family that would respect his need for freedom.**

**Olympian-King****- It was really hard for him throughout the whole series and it's really tragic that while he was trying so hard to protect them he turned them against what he wanted them to be and so he forced to hunt them in the end and it's just too heartbreaking! **

**Okay, I'll tell you because you're the only one to guess it was symbolism. I'm going with the Japanese version; the beauty of life and the fragility of life and how it passes so quickly. Blossom is representing how Ace doesn't believe he deserves to live but life is too precious and frail to spend all your time hating it, that's what Makino was trying to get across to Ace. That and the fact he's pretty~**

**If you ever do draw it I'd love to see it!**

**yukiko hyuga-chan****- Ace would be the best heater in the world! Let's say Sabo is a bit of both XD It is hard to show how much Garp loves his grandsons but he had to realise what he had done at some point because it sure as heck ain't happening at the-place-I-must-never-think-of.**

**RainbowGuardian13****- Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!**

**Jessica Season****- Ah don't we all wish that~ Yes, the promised Garp chapter finally arrived, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! I hope you enjoyed the story behind Sabo's nickname too! And yes Luffy is still getting his nails painted. And yes, that was the right verb to use, your English is still very good. See you next week for the Christmas chapter!**

**MoustacheKiller****- it's hard not to feel sorry for Garp, and it's also hard to choose which one of the three brothers is more adorable sometimes! **

**Mojtaba13****- Can you tell me how it felt like bashing to you? That way I know what I can work on in the future.**

**LovelyMinx17****- Thank you, oh look! A wild Update appeared! XD**

**444dodo444****- Heeeeeres a bonus chapter!**

**justaCupcake****- It is pure perfection~**

**There will be trouble later on, like I was ranting about earlier (sorry about that by the way). I get that the Whitebeards are famous for going over protective when a crew mate is injured but to me it's important for the bonds to be there first. That's why it's all been kittens and rainbows and why now there will be steadily an increase in the action after the Christmas chapter, because I'm not writing about Luffy being impaled near Christmas!**

**Ace is the best heater, one of the reasons why I would beg to be in the second division XD No, it didn't happen in chapter 9. I didn't know how to include it without it taking away from the point of the chapter so I've added it in here for you~ You can just imagine the reactions, right? XD **

**I wish we could trade, my fingers are purple as I'm typing this! But Britain seems to create a barrier against the warmth so you can take all the cold you want but none of your warmth will seep in!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and wow, this is a long response! Oops~**

**AnonymousDevilFruitUser****- I love your username, it made me giggle. Glad you liked the chapter!**

**MissJenca****- I'm glad you enjoyed it. Garp is such a complicated character and it breaks my heart to see him labelled as a cruel abuser, because while he did admittedly abuse his grandsons he also tried his hardest to keep them safe from the world. And it hurts to see him painted as the bad guy all the time.**

**And no, no-one knows about Luffy being bullet proof...yet...**

**zorchide****- Garp is a very sad character :'(**

**youshouldn'tneedtoknow****- he is...all the Garp sympathy! **

**JadeOccelot****- They would not have given them up without at least a war breaking loose. But now they get to stay forever! (Well, Luffy won't but that's a different story~)**

**DMCP****- I will admit that they do fit but I did not think about the Powerpuff Girls when those nicknames were created...truth be told, I had never watched the Powerpuff Girls until a friend pointed it out to me. I have watched some of it now though!**

**N-no...it's not like I'm hinting to a certain mythological being that Sabo will be compared to a lot but isn't a mermaid...nope, not what's going on here~**

**They will get a better relationship as Garp realises how happy his grandsons are and how he knows he wouldn't ever be able to take that away from them now.**

**Unfortunately the whole Papa Shanks/Mama Marco/Uncle Hawky showdown is going to be happening in a later chapter, the one where Shanks finally realises Luffy is on the Moby Dick. You did get Luffy's nails painted though!**

**DragonFire Princess****- Thank you very much!**

**Romey****- Both? Both. Both is good. You have his return right here but his survival is touched upon in Dragon's chapter.**

**TheCaptainOfShips****- *throws Shanks in drag at you* here's your Shanks!**

**SisterAssassins****- Thank you very much for following it! And I'm glad you love it so much! It's always nice to come home to something that makes you happy after school!**

**ILoveOnePiece****- ...-_-...no Thatch won't die, he'll drown in a mixture of soup and blood, sacrificed to the squid king Gangklosh and rise again as a clam...spoilers~**

**Reira-Layla****- Thank you so much! I'm glad it made you laugh. **

**Ah making another OPFanfictioner worry about Sabo, payback is sweet~**

**And would you look at that, Update is early! Thanks for the offer of help, I may take it up if it's still open when it comes to fight scenes later on...**

**Please update! Pretty please with a Sabo on top?!**


	11. Chapter 9

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, happy holidays! I hope everyone gets everything they wished for this year but more than that I hope each and every one of you lovely people find joy and peace over the holiday season.**

**Now, warnings for this chapter: I do mention religion and if that offends anybody I am so sorry but I needed to mention the Christian Christmas story to help Ace understand more about Christmas. Again, apologies if that offends anyone.**

**On a different note some of you have wanted to see what Sabo looked like after his makeover; I have posted a drawing up on Tumblr as a Christmas present to you all (the link is on my profile). Have a merry jolly Christmas~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, not even for this most magical time of the year *sigh***

_...'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'..._

_...On the first day of Christmas... _

The members of the second division huddled down into their blankets as those who were awake waited in dread for the annual alarm clock to burst in to the room. Most of the crew had wrapped scarf over their heads, covering their ears as if they hoped that would prevent the walking alarm clock from belting out its tune, like it always did this time of year. They had been readying the protection for days now, counting down to the dreaded first day of Christmas.

One of them, Sora, looked over at the newest recruits with a pitying glance; maybe he should have warned them about what was likely to happen in a few moments. Those few who were awake could hear the shouting from the first division's hall across from theirs, giving them ample warning that the alarm clock had started.

Almost as they thought this, the fourth division commander Thatch burst into the hall, singing at the top of his lungs and ginning like a madman as he rushed to wake his beloved siblings.

"_It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!_

_Everywhere we go~"_

He was belting the song out at the top of his lungs as he went from hammock to hammock, tipping the men out and shaking them until they were awake.

"Come on everyone!" he called out, ignoring the resounding groans he got as an answer. "It's the first day of Christmas so you all need to get up right now or Santa won't give you any presents."

Expertly dodging the many shoes thrown at him for that remark, Thatch wondered over to the youngest boy on the Moby Dick.

Luffy gazed up at him with sleep glazed eyes, his black hair tousled from sleep and falling all over the place; sticking up more than it usually did. Squashing the urge to coo over his adorable baby brother, Thatch merely grinned down at him.

"Hey Luffy, do you know what day it is?" he asked, nearly giddy in excitement to spend Christmas with their new family members. He doubted Ace and Sabo had had much of a Christmas experience before this.

"Umm, Monday?" guessed Luffy, yawning widely as he attempted to sit up more, not really caring that he whacked his head against the hammock above him, knocking poor Joshua out of his hammock and out of his blissful, un-interrupted sleep.

Thatch chuckled.

"Yes it's Monday, but it's also the first day of Christmas!" he yelled excitedly, grinning as the muggy haze of sleep disappeared from Luffy's eyes to be replaced by bright excitement.

"Really?" Luffy asked, jumping out of his hammock and bouncing up and down in front of Thatch. "Like in the song?"

Thatch laughed, delighted he had found someone who shared his enthusiasm for Christmas.

"Yup! Only we don't have a partridge or a pear tree so we're singing other Christmas songs instead." Thatch explained, ignoring the grumbled 'only you sing songs this early' from his sleepy brother and sisters.

"But we have Mama Pineapple. Isn't he a flaming turkey?" Luffy asked with big, confused eyes.

Thatch burst out laughing, bent over double as he gripped Luffy's arms to keep him upright. How he hoped Marco would hear about this. No matter how many times Marco asked, Luffy refused to call him anything other than 'Mama Pineapple' and he doubted Marco would be pleased at being called a flaming turkey as well.

"Partridges are smaller than turkeys Lu." Explained a sleepy voice from above Ace's bunk. Sabo had rolled over to stare down at the commotion below him, having been woken by Thatch's boisterous laughter. His eyes were half lidded from sleep and his curly hair was sticking up in all directions as he flopped back into his pillow with a graceless thump. Thatch grinned and pulled at the hammock, catching an armful of sleepy blonde as Sabo tumbled out from his bed. He crossed his arms and pouted up at the pompadoured man.

"What is it with my little brothers and being adorable?" Thatch muttered to himself, settling Sabo down on the floor before ruffling his tangled curls and turning to Luffy again.

"Want to help me wake Ace up?"

Luffy brightened even more and tackled his older brother out of bed with a gleeful laugh, bouncing on his stomach, chanting his name as he tried to wake him up. Thatch laughed loudly at them before turning to grin at Sabo.

"Are you ready for Christmas?" he asked excitedly, joy radiating from his face as he bounced on his feet slightly. Sabo sighed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Maybe? I have to be for Luffy, don't I?"

"What do you mean by that?" Thatch asked, confused. He remembered Ace saying how much Luffy loved Christmas but he didn't think the other two would be against Christmas too much if it made their little brother happy.

"Ace and I never really understood what the big deal was." Sabo admitted with a casual shrug, not seeming to care that this confession had made Thatch's brain grind to halt. "It's just another day for us."

Thatch's reply was cut off by a loud shout from Ace as he finally woke up properly and hurled his rubber brother off of him with a heated glare. Sabo laughed lightly at his brother's disgruntled expression as he started to comb the tangles out of his curls, imagining that the discussion of their Christmas experience would be left alone after that.

Well tough luck for him.

Thatch wanted to show his brothers a real Christmas this year and they were just going to have to deal with it.

**XXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXX**

"_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know._"

"I thought you said you didn't get much snow where you were from." A confused voice cut across his singing. Thatch turned to see Ace perched on one of the counters, gazing at him with a befuddled look and an apple in hand. He grinned slightly at the raven haired teenager before turning back to the chicken soup he was making; Hanna had wanted him to make some soup for her patients who were suffering hypothermia. His siblings really should leave Luffy-Fishing to their Fishmen brothers in cold waters.

"I didn't." Thatch replied as he continued seasoning the broth. "It's an old Christmas song we all used to sing on my island; to encourage snow to fall or something like that."

"Why are you so hyped about Christmas anyway?" Ace asked as he handed the chef some corn-flour and a tin of sweet-corn. "It's just another day, isn't it?"

Thatch sighed, put his spoon down, and turned to face his friend with an incredulous look.

"You really don't understand?"

Ace merely shook his head, looking a bit perturbed at Thatch's gazing. It wasn't exactly his fault he hadn't even heard of the holiday until Luffy came into his life; Sabo hadn't celebrated it so he didn't know it existed.

"Christmas is a wonderful time. You celebrate your family, your friends, your life... it's magical and special and it fills you with a warmth you never knew you could feel until Christmas comes around..." he trailed off with a dazed, happy expression on his face, tilting his head slightly to send a tender smile towards his little brother. "By the end of these twelve days, you'll understand what I mean."

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXX**

_...'Deck the Halls'..._

_...On the second day of Christmas..._

They had stopped off in a port that day for some reason that still eluded Sabo. Luffy, Thatch, and Haruta had all led a small party of pirates off the ship towards the evergreen forests, shouting loudly about a tree. It was a bit strange Sabo thought, usually when one goes into a forest they expect to find at least several trees; that's usually what defines a forest after all.

Ace had just shrugged, swallowed the roast potatoes he had smuggled from the kitchen and turned to stare at the rest of their bustling siblings. They had wanted to help, but they had no clue what anyone was doing. Fossa was directing his division to put up holly along every corridor, Blenheim and his division were stringing baubles along the railings with ribbons, Namur even had his division stringing glittering fairy lights around the masts and rigging. And all while doing this every person was belting out the same song, harmonising and competing with each other until it was a storm of pure musical joy.

"_Deck the halls with boughs of holly,_

_Fla la la la la, la la la la._

'_Tis the season to be jolly,_

_Fla la la la la, la la la la."_

"What's the matter with you two?" laughed Izo as he came closer to the brothers, gentle placing a wreath of Christmas roses on each of their heads. Sabo noticed he had even more dangling from his arms and suspected they were not the first to be attacked with the ruby red flowers. "Anyone would think you weren't in the holiday spirit."

"Oh we enjoy holidays." Ace hurried to reassure him, covertly hiding his hands in his pockets (the nail polish had finally come off and he wasn't anxious to have his nail re-painted). "We just don't understand the big fuss surrounding Christmas, that's all."

"Oh if you think this is a fuss wait until your birthdays." Izo grinned at them, causing Ace to blanch and Sabo to look confused.

"But when we celebrated Jiru's birthday last month it wasn't as fussy as this." The blonde waved a hand around to indicate the rushing masses of holiday cheer and the mobile holly bushes that were being distributed around the ship.

"Oh I'm talking about your eighteenth birthday parties. It's a very special date after all, and we need to celebrate it accordingly." Izo clarified, smirking lightly at the comprehension that dawned on Sabo's face. "Plus, we've never had the chance to celebrate an eighteenth birthday before."

"So we should expect more frantic siblings as birthday presents?" Sabo asked with a teasing glint in his eyes, causing Izo to laugh lightly before turning back to his distribution of Christmas wreaths. Sabo and Ace waved as he left before jumping in surprise as blue flames shot across the sky.

"Marco's scouting the island again?" Sabo asked, turning slightly to watch the phoenix trail it's golden tail and dancing fires across the winter sky, burning away the clouds and swooping through the air currents.

"Yeah, Pops sent him out earlier this morning." Replied Ace staring moodily at his feet.

"What's the matter with you?" Sabo asked, turning to look at his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"We're not going to be able to celebrate Luffy's eighteenth." Muttered Ace as he pushed himself of the railings and headed towards the figurehead (rumour was that Izo and his division were trying to make a Santa hat large enough to fit the head of the whale). He sat down with a sigh, running his fingers over the smooth, painted wood as he stared at his reflection in the iron grey waters below. He barley acknowledged Sabo sitting down next to him.

"I suppose that means we should really try and celebrate these Christmases we have left together before Luffy's seventeenth."

Ace turned to look at him, not seeing the connection between Christmas and their brother's looming departure.

"Christmas is about celebrating family and bringing family together." A bitter smile twisted the blonde's mouth and gave Ace enough insight to why his blonde brother had never mentioned this holiday. "Even if we can't be with him to celebrate his eighteenth, we'll always have Christmas; a day to celebrate all of us meeting and all of us becoming brothers. And I think that Luffy will continue to think of us at Christmas, even if we're not with him to celebrate."

A peaceful silence washed over them like the waves lapping the hull below them. The haunting melody of Christmas carols wafted over them, causing them to share a smile as their baby brother's voice added to the background din, joining in the carols after shouting about the tree they brought home.

"_Tip the cup and drain the barrel,_

_Fla la la la la, la la la la."_

Sabo softly sang along, reaching out to let the winds twist through his slender fingers, eyes melting softly and he glanced at his brother with a tender smile. Ace chuckled gently, reaching out a hand to entwine his fingers in the air, letting his fall back as he sang the last few lines of one of the only carols he knew.

"_Troll the ancient yuletide carol,_

_Fla la la la la, la la la la."_

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXX**

_...'We're simply having a wonderful Christmas time'..._

_...On the third day of Christmas..._

"So why do we need a turkey?" Ace asked as he flipped through a recipe book, gazing in awe at the illustrations causing Thatch to chuckle and snatch it out of his hands.

"Well it's a tradition." Explained Thatch as he leaned against the counter his friend was sitting on. "Apparently it used to be a luxury item for nobles only."

He smirked at Ace's disgruntled expression, knowing the kid's intense loathing of nobility. Heck, most people on the Moby Dick had a general dislike for nobles. Nobody was going to judge the guy for hating a bunch of stuck up snobs that delighted in enslaving children.

"Then why do we eat it?" Ace grumbled, hopping off of the counter and sending a disapproving look at Thatch.

"We eat it because when Turkey became popular with the normal families it became less of a luxury so most nobles stopped eating it all together. That's how you can tell the self-absorbed nobles from the few good ones."

"Because the good ones eat turkey?" Ace asked incredulously, laughing slightly at Thatch's sage nod. "So we basically stole the noble's Turkey and now we eat it at Christmas."

"Yup." Thatch confirmed cheerfully, opening the recipe book again and jotting down some ideas for the Christmas feast. "It shows that we're not different from them at all and we can eat the same things as them."

Ace laughed joyfully at that, bending over to stare at the recipe book himself. Some of the recipes in the book looked quite complicated but he had absolute faith in his friend's abilities. Thatch had promised them the best feast they could imagine for their first proper Christmas; looking at the menu he was putting together Ace could hardly wait.

Sabo was also looking forward to Christmas day, but for a totally different reason.

He had found himself in the cartographer's room, looking through maps with Namur and trying to learn more about map-making when Namur had taken him aside and showed him a map of a winter island that was barely a week's sail away.

"Should we warn the crew about the possibility of having a snowy Christmas?" the fishman asked the shorter of the two he was with.

Sabo exchanged a glance with Lorna, the chief cartographer, and got a shrug and a grin in response. Sabo turned back to his friend with a sigh before grinning half heartedly.

"What do you want our opinion for commander? Let's inform Pops and the helmsman. I think it's Lysander today, right?"

Namur nodded in confirmation, knowing it was Lysander duty on the helm today.

"Looks like you're going to suffer through the cold, my friend."

Sabo waved his words away with a gentle smile.

"Luffy will be happy, and that's enough for me. Plus, I have a walking heater I can follow around."

Lorna giggled at Sabo's description of his brother.

"Didn't think you and Ace were very 'touchy-feely' with each other." She remarked, raising an eyebrow as Sabo doubled over with laughter.

"We're not." He explained when he straightened up again, mirth dancing and flickering in his eyes like navy flames in the night. "Luffy's the one who craves physical affection. But that doesn't mean Ace and I are completely devoid of it."

"We're completely comfortable with each other." He went on to explain, seeing the enquiring looks from his friends. "If I'm cold he will have no problem giving me a piggy back to keep me warm. The same as if he has a narcolepsy attack; he will not at all be perturbed at finding himself asleep in my lap. It also helps that none of us have a real sense of shame, we're completely comfortable in each other's presence and there is nothing we could do to make each other feel awkward."

Namur and Lorna made noises of comprehension, nodding their heads to show they understood his explanation. It was slightly strange to see how closely-knit the three boys were but it was also oddly fascinating. Lorna had gotten the impression that if anyone had wanted to even hold hands with Ace he'd burn their fingers off. But then again, Luffy attacked both his brothers with full body hugs almost twice daily so Ace couldn't be that aversive to human contact. She was brought out of her contemplative thoughts by Sabo opening the door, saying something about going to tell Pops about the plans while Namur went and told Lysander to change course.

Which of course left her with nothing to do. Well, she could always go round up a group of siblings to sing carols outside the infirmary. Yeah, she might go do that.

It wouldn't do to let their poor frozen siblings escape the festive cheer now would it?

Whitebeard certainly wasn't escaping the festive cheer. Not when it had personified itself in his youngest son.

He had only just managed to coax the little one down from the branches of their Christmas tree, catching him gently when he had decided the best way to get down was to rocket himself out of the branch he was singing from. His youngest son certainly was a reckless daredevil. Whitebeard had a sudden flood of foreboding in his veins as he cradled the little boy in his hands and was suddenly very glad he had no hair to lose over his antics.

"Calm down brat." He chuckled, resting Luffy down on his knee as the skinny ball of energy finally stopped fidgeting so much. Whitebeard was glad to see that Luffy was definitely not as skinny as he had been when he had first got on board; he would need to thank Thatch for sorting out his diet. He had also noticed Ace had had a growth spurt in the last few days and was now looking more like a seventeen year old rather than a fifteen year old.

"I know you're excited for Christmas but it's still several days away."

"Sorry." Giggled Luffy, not looking sorry at all. He gazed around him with a joyful, wondrous expression in his eyes and a silly grin on his face that gave away his excitement for spending Christmas with his family.

"Shanks used to do something similar to this." Luffy confided, scooting up on his leg to grin up at Whitebeard with an awestruck expression that he was getting used to (it was the expression Luffy always wore when speaking about that red-haired brat). "We would spend all day singing songs and we would have this really good dinner and they all exchanged presents with each other; Are we gonna do that too Pops?"

Whitebeard chuckled and ran his giant fingers over Luffy's tousled raven locks, messing them even more and causing Luffy to grin up at him.

"We are brat. What we're going to do is slightly different though. I'll tell you about it later."

Luffy pouted slightly before nodding in understanding and jumping off of Whitebeard's leg to wonder off to find Marco. He heard they were going to be having turkey for Christmas dinner and it wouldn't be right for Marco to eat his own kind; Ace had told him cannibalism was bad after all.

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXX**

_...'All I want for Christmas is you'..._

_...'On the fourth day of Christmas'..._

For the past few days as the crew were getting ready for Christmas, they had neglected one little holiday tradition that held a special place in Izo's heart. And while Christmas was certainly not Valentine's Day, Izo felt it should have a little love sprinkled in it too.

Which is why he found himself sneaking around his own home, at four o'clock in the morning, hanging mistletoe up in every doorway he could. Some of them, like the galley doorway, were too tall for him so he contented himself with spread the innocent leafy plant everywhere else. It was this sight that greeted Sabo on his way to the galley after night watch. For a moment, the blonde watched his friend with dazed eyes, not really comprehending what the crossdresser was doing.

"Umm, why are you hanging even more plants around the place?" he asked hesitantly, causing Izo to jump and turn to look at him in surprise. "Soon we'll have more plants than a gardening shop."

Izo stared at him, wondering how the blonde had managed to sneak up on him. He was a Whitebeard commander after all! No teenager, no matter how good of a rookie they were, should be able to do that. He contemplated asking him but then he remembered he was being asked a question first and it would be rude not to respond.

"This, my darling friend, is mistletoe." Izo slung an arm around Sabo's shoulders and brought the plant in question into a better light so Sabo could see it more clearly. The snowy white berries glistened slightly in the pale moonlight.

"So?" asked Sabo, unimpressed by the little plant that held so many horrors for other people.

Izo gasped dramatically and held a hand to his chest as though he had been wounded before smirking slightly at his companion. Usually that smirk would send anxious waves of anticipation down Sabo's spine but he was too tired to care and there was something different about Izo this morning...

"You're not wearing makeup." Sabo realised with a jolt, cutting across whatever Izo had opened his mouth to say.

The older man shot him an unimpressed look.

"Yes I'm not wearing makeup, it's barely four o'clock." He remarked, biting down the desire to hide his face from his friend. He hated people seeing him without any makeup on. "Besides, I needed to do this quickly before everyone woke up so I could photograph their reactions."

He slipped a hand into his kimono and pulled out a small, portable camera. It had cost him a lot (mainly blackmail he could have used against the marines in different ways) but it was worth it in his opinion to snag a marine-base-issued camera.

"Why would you need to photograph their reactions to a plant?" asked Sabo, leaning down to stare at the bunch of mistletoe with more curiosity than he had earlier. Maybe there was more to this plant than meets the eye.

"Because mistletoe can also be called the kissing plant." Izo revealed with another smirk, holding it over their heads to demonstrate. "When two people are under the mistletoe at the same time it's tradition for them to kiss one another before they're allowed to move on."

He leaned over and gently pecked the shorter man's cheek, grinning at the blush that spread across his face. Sabo averted his eyes from the grinning man before turning to look at the plant above their heads.

"So you just have to kiss them on the cheek?"

"No." Izo said, a bit of a leer sneaking into his expression now. "You're supposed to kiss them on the lips. But seeing how you're a novice I'll let you off this time."

Sabo laughed lightly before standing on the tips of his toes to reach up and place a short kiss to Izo's cheek. He pulled away with a smirk, snatching the mistletoe out of Izo's lax grip.

"Sorry, but I think I'll be avoiding all mistletoe today. I don't want to give my first kiss to my family after all." With a final wave, Sabo walked down the corridor towards the galley, planning on waiting there until breakfast was served before he went and napped for the morning; Night watch had made him so tired.

What he didn't see was Izo's surprised look melt away into determination. If Sabo hadn't had his first kiss then it was safe to say neither had Ace or Luffy (Luffy he wasn't surprised about. Given Ace and Sabo's brother complexes he wouldn't be surprised if the youngest didn't know about the Birds and the Bees yet). And as a big brother it was his job to make sure that when they did give away their first kisses, it was to the right person!

He would make this very clear to anyone who was caught under the mistletoe with them that it was cheek kisses only!

**XXXXXBREAK LINEXXXXX**

_...'Walking in a winter wonderland'..._

_...'On the fifth day of Christmas'..._

"Alright everyone calm down, yoi." Instructed Marco as he passed round the giant Santa hat that Izo and his division was made. Speaking of Izo, Marco would need to find his stash of mistletoe soon; twice he had been under that wretched plant with Thatch and Marco was not impressed by the crossdresser habit of waving the photos around for everyone to see.

As the hat passed from pirate to pirate more and more names were added inside. They were going to play secret Santa. It was the only way to get presents for a crew this large and not be completely broke by the end of Christmas. Also it was highly unlikely that any of the 'Santas' would remain secret for very long so it really didn't hold that mystery quality that most games would have.

As it was, soon the hat had every name in it and then it was redistributed around for everyone to pick a name. When it was Marco's turn he was delighted to find he had gotten one of his own division members; Lukas would be happy with a good quality rum. He was glad he had gotten a brother he knew well, Lukas and he often had night watch together so he knew what the other man was like when it came to his booze. He pitied the poor people that got Hanna and Hana though; despite their names being similar they couldn't be more different. It wouldn't be the first Christmas their gifts got confused and they were getting pretty sick of it.

After half an hour everyone knew who they had and they were ready to disembark at the island they had stopped off at just for Christmas shopping. They were going to go into town two divisions at a time. This way Marco could take care of his own division and the second division (they really needed to start looking for another commander for that division, otherwise Marco might drown in all the paperwork that was being shifted over to him).

It should have come of no surprise to him then, that when he called for his two division he was immediately assaulted by three sets of excited eyes and eager grins. He sighed slightly but could help the small grin that stretched his mouth as he watched Luffy demand a piggy back from Ace as he and Sabo walked along at a steady pace behind them.

"So, who do you have, yoi?" he turned to ask the other blonde beside him, getting a cheeky grin in response.

"That's not how the game works Marco." Sabo chided in a sing song voice, eyes glinting mischievously under his hat.

Marco snorted; as if anyone actually played the game correctly now. It probably meant that Sabo had gotten him and was not wanting to give it away. He would have needed to be a lot sneakier if he wanted to get it passed him. Years of clearing up after Thatch's pranks had given him a sixth sense for deception.

"Do you know who your brothers have got, yoi?" he asked politely, trying to keep up the conversation. For all that Luffy bugged him and Ace chatted with him, Sabo had never approached him like the other two had. He was slightly ashamed to admit he didn't know the blonde brother very well.

Sabo laughed, shaking his head slightly.

"You suck at this game Marco. We haven't told anyone who we've got, not even each other."

He turned dancing eyes onto the older man, seemingly caught in a state of disbelieve that anyone could be so bad at cheating at this game.

"Even Luffy's keeping his mouth shut?" Marco asked in surprise. It seemed highly unlikely the youngest could keep his mouth shut for two seconds and Marco knew he couldn't lie at all so even if he tried to keep it a secret he wouldn't be able to.

"Yup. Luffy likes this game and he likes keeping a secret." Sabo winked at him. "He can be surprisingly good at keeping them when he has the right motivation."

"You bribed him with meat, didn't you, yoi?" Marco asked in a deadpan tone, turning unimpressed eyes to look down at the chuckling blonde teenager.

"Nope." Denied Sabo, grinning widely at him before jogging over to his laughing brothers and whispering in their ears. All three of them burst into giggles and with encouragement from Luffy, Sabo left their little group and headed towards one of the stores they had just passed.

Marco was tempted to go after him but worry about the destructive forces of nature that were Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy caused him to stay with the black haired brothers.

They visited several shops (Luffy still clinging to his brother's back like some form of demented koala) trying to find the perfect gifts. Marco found an old bottle of West Blue rum that would be perfect for Lukas and would remind his old friend of his home sea. Ace and Luffy seemed to be competing with each other on who could find the most ridiculous gift; they had already found a lurid pink satin shirt with so many ruffles you could hardly tell what it was, a pair of ridiculously high neon orange heels that were dripping with silver glitter, and an impressive peacock feathered headdress that fanned out around their heads when they had both tried it on.

"Who are you buying for?" asked Marco incredulously as he watched the brothers consider a rainbow tutu with matching leg warmers.

Luffy turned to look at him with bright, innocent eyes.

"Gramps." He cheered, grinning happily at his confused and alarmed expression. "We wanted to get him something for Christmas so he knows we were thinking of him and that we still love him."

Ace smiled softly at his little brother.

"Although he is terrifying, he's still our grandfather and the reason I met Luffy. So if Christmas is really all about family it's only right that we send him something, right?" He turned unsure eyes to Marco, obviously wanting to know if he was doing the right thing. Christmas was still such an alien idea to him but he was slowly getting into the festive mood everyone had been going on about.

Marco smiled at him and nodded, proud of Ace for thinking of the family they had left behind when they became Whitebeard Pirates.

"Ne, Ace! We should write letters to Makino and Dadan!"

"Great idea Lu, and we can get Izo to take a picture of us so we can send it too and they can see how happy we are!"

**XXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXX**

_...'I believed in Father Christmas'..._

_...'On the sixth day of Christmas'..._

Of all the days the marines attacked, it would have to be halfway through the days till Christmas didn't it?

Needless to say Thatch was not a happy person at this moment in time.

Neither was Luffy but he was too excited by the prospect of fighting to care too much that the marines were ruining the Christmas spirit.

Hence why Luffy was grinning widely with his brothers, perched precariously on the railing while Thatch was sulking slightly next to Whitebeard's chair.

"You know son." Whitebeard began, leaning down slightly to smile at his pouting son. "Just because this is a marine attack doesn't mean Christmas is ruined. Why don't you try to spread some Christmas cheer on their ship too?"

Thatch looked at Whitebeard strangely before heading down to join his brothers in preparation for the upcoming fight. It was only a standard Marine Battleship, nothing they couldn't handle. Naturally all the commanders were on deck, ready to defend Whitebeard in the slim chance of the Marines getting aboard. It was the second and fifth divisions turn to fight (they won in the quick round of eenie-meenie-minnie-mo) as if every division was called to fight they'd sink the battleship from sheer numbers alone. First division were on immediate backup, third was on medical patrol, fourth was working on the aftermath feast, sixth was on clear up duty, and seventh through to the sixteenth were sulking and trying to find good spot to watch the action through the portholes below deck.

Thatch caught Ace and Sabo shaking hands over something before he pulled Luffy to more stable ground by the back of his bright red vest. If Luffy had leaned over anymore he would have been with the fishes before any of the marines were.

"So what deal do you two have going on?" He asked gloomily, watching the approaching ship with great dislike. It looked like the marine were getting ready to use their canons; guess that meant he was going to be needed shortly.

"How many we can take out without Ace using his devil fruit powers." Sabo replied promptly, flashing a grin towards the sullen redhead. "Basically if you see any fire let me know so I know I've won our bet."

"You can't beat me Sabo." Ace grinned cockily. "You haven't been able to since I ate the Mera Mera no Mi."

Sabo raised a delicate eyebrow at his grinning brother.

"And who is it that saves your arse everytime you and Luffy fall into the ocean?" He asked delicately, sweeping his hat off in an elegant but mocking bow to his brother, looking up at him with sarcastic grin. "That's right, me."

Thatch laughed lightly, never having seen this side to the brothers before. Both of them looked more than ready to fight though and that's what he needed at the moment.

A loud canon blast sounded through the air. At once more shots were fired after the first until a wave of cannon balls were headed towards them. With a sigh Thatch drew his sword along with Haruta, Vista, and Blenheim, leaping up and cutting through all of them with practised ease, landing gently back on the deck with a bored sigh.

"When are they gonna learn that they can't sink the Moby Dick with cannon balls?" he asked thin air, mentally congratulating their newer brothers on not freaking out when they saw the wall of cannon balls heading towards them.

"Will they try and retreat now?" Ace asked, peering over at the oncoming ship in mild curiosity.

"I hope so." Grumbled Thatch, crossing his arms and glaring at the ship. "But they most likely won't."

"Any reason you want them to retreat?" Sabo asked, turning surprised eyes on their friend. Thatch had never struck him as the kind of man who would avoid a fight if he could; given how much chaos he was prone to causing on the Moby Dick.

"They're ruining my Christmas cheer." Pouted Thatch, turning moody eyes to Ace and Sabo when all they did was laugh at his sorrow. Meanies!

Luffy gasped in realisation, turning wide eyes to Thatch in worry.

"What about the tree? They could hit the tree and destroy all our hard work!" he exclaimed, looking close to crying as he gazed up at the gigantic tree they had gotten four days ago.

Thatch felt close to cheering; finally he had an ally on why this was such a problem.

"Did you talk to Pops?" Luffy demanded, turning wide sparkly eyes towards Thatch. "Pops knows how to fix everything, right?"

Thatch felt himself melting at the sight of those wide, glassy eyes, sparkling with unshed tears. He couldn't let those tears fall, not so close to Christmas.

"Don't worry Luffy." He rushed to reassure him, not noticing Ace's smirk or Sabo shaking his head in despair right next to him. All he was concerned about right now was making Luffy smile again. "Pops said to try and spread some Christmas cheer on their ship, though I'm not sure what that means. We'll work something out, okay?"

Luffy nodded, obviously thinking very hard about what he said before brightening up with a grin.

"Can we sing them Christmas songs?"

Thatch, Ace, and Sabo turned to look at him incredulously. Then, as one, they turned to look at the battleship that was almost close enough to board. Then they looked back at Luffy.

...

..

.

Those damn puppy dog eyes were back on...

With a sigh all three of them nodded, causing Luffy to grin and cheer before turning back to the problem at hand. Sure they were now roped in to singing Christmas songs while they fought, but that didn't mean they weren't going to clobber all the marines for ruining their day anyway.

Finally they were close enough to board the marine ship.

With a roaring battle cry they grabbed the boarding ropes and swung onto the deck of the enemy ship. Some of the marines had the gall to look surprised; like they were sure they had a chance at boarding the Whitebeards' flagship.

As if they'd let them.

Thatch was immediately in the thick of it, slashing any marine who dared to come close to him as he attacked with pent up indignation. A bullet whizzed past his ear as he ducked to avoid it, bringing his blade up to block the other two that had been aimed for his head. Furious eyes locked onto the man that had fired the shots and his sword flashed through the air like liquid silver, cleaving a gash across the man's uniformed chest. Blood blossomed over the white cotton as Thatch moved on.

From his left he could hear Luffy whizzing around, knocking down Marines like bowling pins and singing at the top of his voice.

"_They said there'll be snow at Christmas,_

_They said there'll be peace on Earth._

_But instead it just kept on raining;_

_A veil of tears for the Virgin Birth." _

Thatch laughed loudly, finally cheering up as Luffy's voice washed over them. Sure he was slightly out of tune but the Christmas cheer in voice could not be denied, even by the marines. Thatch raised his voice to join in, incapacitating the marines who wear distracted by the singing.

"_I remember one Christmas morning,_

_A winters light and a distant choir,_

_With the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell,_

_And their eyes full of tinsel and fire."_

Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Ace, grinning broadly, roundhouse kick a man two times the size of him. The behemoth came crashing down with a deafening thud before Ace caught sight of him and waved happily, rolling away from a sword strike that would have chopped his head off. Thatch had to wonder if his little brothers knew Haki yet; it wouldn't surprise him if they did, the way Ace and Sabo wear moving around.

Thatch parried a blow from another swordsman, grinning at the irritated look the marine was giving him. Obviously the marines thought they weren't taking them seriously (they weren't but that's besides the point).

"Why are you singing?" his opponent growled. Thatch waved his spare hand in front of his nose in disgust. Man did that guy's breath stink. You would think a marine would have better hygiene than a pirate but nobody on the Moby Dick had breath that bad. Izo would have killed them if they did.

"Because it's almost Christmas and you had to come and ruin it." Thatch retorted, sticking his tongue out childishly before disarming his opponent with a twist of his wrist. He brought down his enemy's sword against his legs, causing the marine to trip up as he tried to avoid having his legs chopped off. Thatch quickly stabbed the sword through his opponent's leg, making sure he could no longer move for the remainder of this battle.

He looked around for any more potential enemies, making sure to check on his brothers and sisters in case they needed any help with their own fights. Strangely some of the marines were gravitating towards an area of their ship were their captain was facing down one of the Whitebeard pirates.

Or, as Thatch realised when he got closer, three of them.

And yet still the song continued. In fact, it almost looked like the marines were not drawing closer to aid their captain but rather, they were drawing closer to listen to the three brothers singing.

Luffy ducked under a punch that would have taken his head off, the captain's armament Haki gleamed as it whistled past Luffy's dark hair. Judging by the bruises blossoming on Luffy's bare arms he had already discovered that this man's punches could hurt him. The bruises might also explain why Ace was completely disregarding the bet between him and Sabo and was going after the captain with all the fury and fires of hell that only an overprotective brother could conjure.

The heat from Ace's flames washed over Thatch the closer he got to the fighting. It lapped hungrily at the marines' ankles, ravenous in its fury and insatiable in its desire. The fire danced along the captain's skin, lapping and caressing his armoured body, trying to find a way past it. A haze of heat radiated from Ace's skin as he glared menacingly at the marine captain, hell fire and rage blackening the silver until they burned with acrid smoke.

With a roar of fury he charged at the man who dared to hurt his little brother, catching his arm in his hand and swinging himself up onto his back. He swung his arms around his neck, creating a choke hold and squeezing so tightly that the captain felt it through his Haki.

Spluttering, the captain reached up behind him to try and pull Ace off and then Sabo struck. Swinging his metal staff with deadly accuracy, Sabo rammed the heated metal straight into the man's crotch.

A scream of pain followed him to the ground as his control over his Haki failed, the marine captain crumbled down, Ace on top of him. When it became clear that their leader was in too much pain to move let alone fight the other marines surrendered, dropping their weapons in the circle they had formed around the three brothers.

The sharp clang of metal hitting wood seemed to snap Ace out of the worst of his rage. Or at least, Thatch could no longer feel his trouser leg burning. With a sigh, Ace clambered off the captain and stood next to Sabo with a seething glare.

Whispers snaked through the gathered marines, warning each other of 'Fire-Fist Ace' and stating that they really didn't want to make him mad again. Surprisingly enough they seemed to be oblivious of Sabo, who was fussing over Luffy and trying to tug him back to the ship to get his bruises treated. There was a nasty gash across his forehead that was colouring his hair crimson with his own blood but it didn't seem to be bothering him too much.

The singing had definitely stopped now.

Thatch approached them, slowly clapping as a proud grin stretched across his face. Sure they had defeated marines in the past but this was the first time they had done it as Whitebeard Pirates and that was something to celebrate at least. Their first battle with the family and already taking down the captain, Thatch thought he might cry. His little brothers were growing up.

Sabo looked up at him with a carefree grin, nudging his brother with a look to get him to help with Luffy before addressing Thatch.

"I got thirty six. How many did you get?"

**XXXBREAK LINEXXXXX**

_...'Silent Night, Holy Night'..._

_...'On the seventh day of Christmas'..._

It was a very calm evening as the Moby Dick sailed through oceans of inky velvet, studded with diamonds from the skies above. Marco looked carefully down into the water, only to see himself reflected in the ripples below. His normally expressionless eyes stared back at him, the normal blue darkened with sorrow and grief. Marco felt every bit his age in that moment. Staring at himself far below and grieving for his dear sisters and brothers that could no longer be with him for Christmas.

"What's the matter Mama Pineapple?" asked a childish voice from beside him.

Marco didn't jump, only turned with a sigh to face his baby brother. It really didn't surprise him anymore when Luffy popped up out of nowhere. The boy seemed to have a knack for stealth that completely contradicted his personality. With a half-hearted attempt at a smile he reached forward and ruffled Luffy's hair, pushing his hat further back on his head as he did so.

"Everyone's been really sad today." Luffy continued, looking up at Marco with sad, brown eyes. Marco wanted to kick someone to make that sadness leave. "Is it because of the marines yesterday?"

"No Luffy, yoi. It wasn't because of the marines." He replied softly. He carefully tucked the small teen under his arm, letting him cuddle into his side as he walked them both towards the main deck, towards their father's chair.

Whitebeard looked down on his gathered children with a great sigh.

"Another Christmas is approaching my children...and yet there are some in our family who can no longer be here to celebrate it..."

He watched them all, brothers and sisters alike, and felt a deep sorrow for all the children he had lost over the many years he had sailed with them.

"Tonight we shall honour their memories...and wish them all the best in their next life..."

He watched as some of his sons and daughters broke into tears at these words, seeking comfort from their siblings all around them. He watched as Marco comforted a small boy who had not known any of the dearly departed yet still grieved for the siblings he never got the chance to meet. He watched as two more of his sons gravitated towards Marco, wanting comfort and support from his eldest son.

"They were good people; men and women alike who were kind, noble, and loyal to a fault...I am proud, and honoured to call them my children...and I hope that wherever they are now...they've found peace...and that they've been welcomed by our other family members who have also passed on to their next adventure..."

"...May we bless their souls..."

He bowed his head in remembrance of his lost children, shedding a tear for each memory he had of them; of Joey's bright smile and Wanda's sarcastic laugh, of Hank's impressive strength that lead his division so well, of Verity's kind heart and expert knowledge she used to treat her siblings.

The shadows of the night pressed down upon them all, swallowing them in guilt and grief. Some of them had even fallen to their knees, sobbing as their hearts threatened to burst from the pain. Suddenly a little green flame appeared in front of one of the fallen and from there it became two little flames, then three, then four. Gradually the air filled with dozens of tiny little balls of green light, drifting up into the air as though they were being born on the current of their misery.

Slowly those who had fallen rose again, hope filling their hearts and replacing the heartache with fond remembrance of all the good time they had shared with their beloved siblings. It was almost as if the little fireflies could sense their increasing hope, as the burned brighter and flew higher into the sky, spiralling up into the black abyss, taking all the despair and leaving only faith behind.

Of course everybody knew who gave them back their hope but they never said anything. All they had to do was look over and see the silver eyes and gentle smile and know their hope would always be with them.

**XXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXX**

_...'Away in a manger'..._

_...'On the eight day of Christmas'..._

"Pops?"

"Yes, brat?"

"Why do people celebrate Christmas?"

The day after the day of remembrance found Ace sitting at the foot of Whitebeard's chair with a question on his mind that wouldn't leave him alone. He had tried asking Thatch but he had just gone on and on about family, friends, and presents. He had asked Thomas but he said he didn't celebrate Christmas in the religious sense and had just walked off. Ace knew Christmas was a religious holiday but he wanted to know why it was considered religious. He didn't think that celebrating your family should be confined to one specific religion.

"Well they celebrate Christmas because it shows the importance of family."

"But how does it?" Ace bit out; frustrated that he wasn't getting the answers he wanted.

"How does it show the importance of family?" Newgate asked, just to make sure he understood what his son was asking.

"Yes. And what does religion have to do with celebrating your family?"

Newgate leaned back in his chair and took a long drink of sake. He hadn't had to tell the Christmas story for a long time.

"Originally Christmas was seen as important because it was said to be the day that Christ was born. You know about the religion that follows Jesus Christ, correct?"

Seeing Ace's nod, he continued.

"The story of Christmas is all about how baby Jesus was born. His mother search high and low for a safe place to have her baby but all the inns in the city were full and none could take her."

"That's stupid." Ace remarked. "If a pregnant lady shows up at you inn you should kick some of the other tenants out to make room for her."

Newgate tilted his head in agreement.

"In the end the only place where she could have her baby was in the stable of an inn. The point of this story, I believe, was to show that although Jesus would rise to be the king of heaven he was born just like anybody else and was not pampered from birth. He was born in a modest barn, not a palace."

"But what's that got to do with family?" Ace asked, confused at how the Christmas holiday could have sprung up from this belief.

Whitebeard sighed softly and smiled down at his curious son.

"Think about the length Mary went through for her baby to be born. She search high and low and while a stable was hardly an ideal place, she took it: Just so her baby could be born safely. I think that shows the importance of family, don't you? A mother's love is a very powerful thing after all. I think that when we celebrate Christmas and we travel high and low to meet with our families, its mirroring Mary's love for her unborn son. That's why Christmas is a time for family; it's a celebration of the life you've lived because of your mother, and how you're going to spend the rest of your life too."

Ace took a while to digest this, starting to understand that while many of the crew didn't celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus they still celebrated it because it demonstrated the unconditional love that family has for one another. A warm glow filled him at that thought, knowing that while he was in no way a Christian, family love and Christmas love was able to transcend all religions. It didn't matter what you called the holiday really, all that mattered was the family around you and celebrating your life together.

With a bow of thanks towards his father Ace raced down the steps towards where he knew Luffy and Sabo were, wanting to spend the entire day with his beloved brothers and make sure they were safe too.

**XXXXXBREAK LINEXXXXX**

_...'Mistletoe and Wine'..._

_...'On the ninth day of Christmas'..._

"And then you add the spices." Thatch explained as he added the cloves, cinnamon stick, and star anise into the mixture of fruit and wine that was bubbling merrily on the stove. "That's how you get mulled wine."

He put the lid on the pot and turned to look at his 'apprentice'. Ace was nodding in acknowledgment as he munched on an orange, committing the steps to memory as he grinned at his friend. It had really surprised him how much fun cooking with Thatch had been. At first he had only gone to learn about the nutritious value of the food, but over time he had found himself enjoying every trip to the kitchen he made and all the recipes Thatch would teach him. Both of them had ended up with ingredients all over them at some points but it was still more exciting than chores (even if Ace was forced to wear a shirt).

"We just have to wait for the spices and fruits to infuse with the wine now, right?" Ace asked, hopping down off his favourite perch. Thatch nodded and bopped him lightly on the nose.

"That's right little firecracker. Glad to know you're learning something."

They walked out of the kitchen laughing before Ace crashed into Sabo right inside the doorway. Luckily they didn't fall over but Thatch still had to help them detangle themselves from the collision of limbs.

"Where's Luffy?" Ace asked as soon as they were righted. Ever since the marine attack three days ago he had been a little twitchy when he wasn't looking after his baby brother. Obviously Sabo had noticed this as his questioned gained him an eye roll from one exasperated blonde.

"He's fine Ace. He's with Marco talking to Pops."

"Great." Interjected Thatch before Ace had the chance to question his brother further. "Now I doubt any of the kitchen staff want us clogging up the doorway so let's get out of the way."

He moved to go forward but a sing song voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Look above you~"

With dread Thatch turned his head from Izo's smirking face to stare in horror at the little bunch of leaves above them. When was Marco planning on destroying all of those monstrosities already?

"Cheek only." Izo warned, hand drifting to the part of his kimono that Thatch knew contained his favourite pistols.

He turned to look at the other two.

"How are we going to do this? There are three of us."

Sabo blew a strand of hair away from his eyes and rolled his eyes.

"I have to kiss you and Ace, Ace has to kiss you and I, and you have to kiss both of us. It's not that hard to work out."

With that said Sabo grabbed his neckerchief, pulled him down to his level and kissed him quickly on the cheek, turning away to hide the slight blush on his face before pecking one of Ace's freckled cheeks too. He turned to stare moodily at a giggling Izo.

"Are you happy now you finally caught me under the mistletoe with someone?"

"I'd be even happier when they did their part of the tradition." Izo laughed, trying to make encouraging hand movements towards the other two.

Thatch sighed in regret before leaning down and kissing the other of Ace's freckled cheeks, leaning back as soon as he did from the heat radiating from them. It was then he noticed his friend's face was an adorable shade of cherry red.

Thatch chuckled lightly and ruffled the raven tresses slightly. He was surprised Ace wasn't steaming from his face being so red. Quickly Ace gave them both kisses on their cheeks before turning away in a huff, avoiding any attempts at eye contact they might have made with him. Sabo laughed gently, used to his brother's amusing fits of embarrassment by now only to turn expectantly to Thatch.

"Can you kiss me already so I can leave? I don't want to stay under this plant longer than necessary."

At this Ace wheeled around again, glaring at Thatch through his blush as though warning him to try anything with his little brother. Thatch snorted slightly, raising his hands in surrender before swiftly kissing Sabo's cheek as well. It wasn't like he was going to kiss him on the lips; especially when both Ace and Izo were there.

"Finally." Cheered Sabo, grinning up at him before walking straight into the kitchen, glad to be out from under the mistletoe.

Ace quickly jumped away from the plant like it was carrying a deadly plague, waiting slightly for his blush to calm down before rejoining Thatch in walking out the galley, resigning himself to listening to the redheads latest song for the day.

**XXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXX**

_...'Snow is falling'..._

_...'On the tenth day of Christmas'..._

They were finally approaching the winter island. The frozen rain drops swayed gentle through the air, twirling around the forms of the pirates like swirling storms of glitter, sparkling and twinkling in the frozen light. The snow had arrived over night and was now settling thicker and faster onto the already snow-covered deck. All around the Moby Dick the sound of laughter and joy spun through the air. The melodious chants of joyful tunes followed everyone around like a noise shadow, wishing you merry Christmas with every step you took.

Luffy burst into the freezing air with bright enthusiasm, one arm still struggling to fit into his coat as he flopped into the snow with a gleeful laugh. By the time Ace and Sabo had appeared on deck Luffy was away with Haruta, taking part in an interdivision snowman building contest. The older brothers quickly made their way over, joining in halfway to help Luffy construct a snowman that would actually stand.

They were actually having a lot of fun. Nestor from the fourteenth division was actually a master at making snowmen and was quickly fashioning Whitebeard's likeness out of snow alone. Needless to say, he was using a lot of snow. Knowing there was no way they were ever going to be able to compete against that Haruta quickly ripped off the head of her snowman and chucked it straight at Luffy's head.

Needless to say the snowball fight that followed would go down in Moby Dick history.

There was pandemonium.

Snowballs of all sizes whizzed through the air, pelting people's heads, arms, chests, anywhere really. A popular target seemed to be the bright orange cowboy hat, the dark blue top hat, and the cheery yellow straw hat that a certain trio of brothers almost always wore.

With wide grins they launched themselves, laughing, into the fray of snow, ducking and weaving the frozen orbs as best they could while determinedly protecting their precious headgear. In the end the snowball war turned out to be just the crew against the ASL brothers, everyone determined to land at least one hit against the coveted hats. But the boys would not let any snow touch them. Ace projected a heat haze around his body so that any snowball that came close instantly melted. Sabo was twirling his bow staff in a circular arc around him, bending at almost impossible angles to create an impenetrable barrier of frozen steel. Luffy was running around, rocketing to and fro like a bottle of pop filled with mentos, laughing his head off as the snowballs failed to match his speed and manoeuvrability.

Eventually the crew admitted defeat, allowing the boys to rest with their precious hats snow free. Instead their attention turned to making snow angels, letting the snow cool them off as they relaxed from the exertion of targeting their youngest brothers for three hours.

Luffy grinned at them all before begging Sabo to make an igloo with him, leaving their brother to sleep away the next half an hour as a heater for their friends (The crew was suddenly finding a whole new appreciation for Ace's narcolepsy).

**XXXXLINE BREAKXXXXX**

_...'Last Christmas, I gave you my heart'..._

_...'on the eleventh day of Christmas'..._

It was Christmas Eve now. After a week of both Luffy and Thatch enthusing about Christmas it was finally the evening before the big day. To put it mildly, Ace was nervous.

What if Christmas wasn't all they made it out to be? What if Ryan didn't like his present? What if this Christmas didn't live up to Luffy's expectations and he would be miserable all day tomorrow?

He had never had a proper Christmas before and now it was finally almost here, what was he supposed to do about it?

He had helped Thatch marinade the meat earlier that day, had sung carols and drunk mulled wine with the rest of his division, pulled crackers and groaned at the bad jokes. Already it had gone far beyond any Christmas he had every experienced.

Swinging his legs out of his hammock he decided he needed a walk to get rid of this nervous energy. Normally he had no problem falling asleep but this night was different.

As he looked over at Luffy's hammock he felt a rush of affection for the little ball of sunshine he called 'little brother'. Gently sweeping the raven hair from his face, Ace gently kissed his forehead and wished him pleasant dreams before straightening up again. No anxiety disturbed Luffy's sleep and for that, Ace was grateful. It was so hard to imagine what life would have been like on the Moby Dick without his brothers by his side. He doubted he would have been so excited for Christmas this year if it wasn't for Luffy.

He turned to check on his other brother only to find that Sabo's hammock was empty. Ace frowned; he could have sworn Sabo was in bed by the time he had come into the sleeping hall.

Turning to walk out of the room, Ace now had a new goal: Find Sabo and then walk off the nervous energy.

He went first to all the places his blonde brother might have been; the galley, the library, and the training deck were the first on his list of inspection. But when all those turned up Sabo-less Ace even contemplated going to Izo's cabin in case the crossdresser had kidnapped him for a sleepover again. It wouldn't surprise him at the moment.

Just as he was about to head down to check, Ace heard the soft, angelic singing that could only come from his other brother. While Luffy sang too loud to care about whether he was in tune or not, and while Ace was better at singing low, slow songs, Sabo would sing softly and sweetly through every scale imaginable and never be out of tune.

The gift he had with his voice was something Ace had always admired about him, and was always slightly envious towards as well.

The eldest brother followed the sweet, haunting melody towards the whale figure head where his little brother sat, shining in the frozen light of the winter moon. He was brushing out his hair, the pale gold strands glinting softly in the moonlight. When Ace moved to get a better look at him he noticed the ice that was clinging to his pale cheeks. He had obviously been out there for a long time already. Yet still he sang in his soft, haunting voice.

"_Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,_

_But the very next day, you gave it away._

_This year, to save me from tears,_

_I'll give it to someone special."_

Ace placed a gentle hand around Sabo's, taking the brush from his brother as he turned wide, surprised eyes towards him, the song dying on his lips.

"You've been out here a long time." Ace remarked as carefully brushed his brother's hair back behind his ear.

Sabo simply nodded, curling in on himself and resting his chin on his knees, staring out at the night with cheerless eyes.

Ace carefully wrapped an arm around his shoulders, bring Sabo close to him to try and warm him up slightly.

"Blue skin is not a good look on you." He said in answer to the questioning gaze he was sent. A smile tugged at the corners of Sabo's mouth before he let himself melt into his brother's side, happy for the warmth provided.

"Are you going to tell me what's bugging you?" Ace enquired after a few minutes of peaceful silence.

"...The last Christmas I celebrated was with the people I share blood with..." Sabo whispered softly into the night, almost as if he was wishing the night would swallow the words whole and make them into a lie.

"They're not your family Sabo. They have never been and they never will be. You're safe with us now little brother and you'll never have to be caged again."

"I know Ace. My heart belongs here...with my real family."

They spent a few more moments contemplating the stars before heading back down below. And if Luffy found them in the same hammock in the morning, Sabo was just using Ace as a heater; something their baby brother was quick to join in on.

**XXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXX**

_...'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow'..._

_...'On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my family gave to me'..._

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

It was a cheer heard through the entire ship as siblings young and old hurried outside, coats thrown over their pyjamas, to huddle round the massive Christmas tree for Pops to hand out the presents. As it turned out Sabo hadn't had Marco all along, he had gotten Jozu and from the look on the diamond man's face the jewel polish was certainly worth every penny he paid. Ace had gotten Ryan a pair of woolly oven gloves and a baking cook book, remembering that the man had said how much he enjoyed baking. It was Luffy who had gotten Marco and while most of the crew thought Luffy would be taking an unplanned bath that morning, Marco had graciously accepted the Pineapple print t-shirt and the 'No.1 Mum' mug.

In return Sabo had gotten a book on rare medicinal herbs from Head Nurse Hanna, Ace had gotten a fire extinguisher and a photo album from Thatch, and Luffy had gotten a scarf with the Whitebeard mark knitted into the end and a large platter of meat from Izo.

Needless to say the boys were thrilled with their gifts.

They then spent the entire day on the winter island they had docked at making snowman, having a snowball fight, and making igloos. At one point Haruta and Luffy teamed up to bury Ace in the snow like you would usually do with people at the beach. Being a fireman, Ace didn't get hypothermia and simply melted the snow when he wanted to get out.

They were then all called back for hot chocolate with sweet whipped cream and melting marshmallows. For some reason Luffy decided he liked the whipped cream better on his face than in his stomach but Ace and Sabo didn't mind too much (Ace was pleased to notice that the entire third division declined having cream on their hot chocolate). After their thirty eighth cup of hot chocolate they moved on to making gingerbread houses. Well, when I say making, what I really mean is Ace and Sabo trying to stop Luffy from eating all the gingerbread before giving up half way through construction and starting an icing war.

Izo was not impressed when a glob of sticky icing landed in his hair.

Luckily for Ace, Thatch dragged him away from Izo's screeching to get him to help making the Christmas feast; something he knew him and his brother were looking forward to. While Ace was busy in the kitchen Luffy and Sabo escaped from Izo and went to roast chestnuts with Fossa, Jiru, and Curiel.

Soon enough the feast was served. Succulent roast turkey with goose and cranberry stuffing, towers of honey roasted parsnips, warm buttery carrots served next to fluffy home baked bread. Rich tomato soup flowed from jugs like the fountain of youth, filling the bowls of many who wished for the warm comfort to fill them inside. Small hills of Brussels sprouts and cabbage leaves nestled themselves snugly beside juicy pink prawns in spicy Marie Rose sauce. Sizzling pork chops were served side by side to the cheese stuffed mushrooms, breadcrumbs crumbling on top. Gravy boats were handed out by the dozen as all the crew sat down and laughed and joked and ate together as a family, trading the cracker prizes and swapping jokes, paper crowns perched precariously on their heads.

And when the final plate was licked clean and Whitebeard had sung his favourite song, when the excitement of the day was dwindling into peaceful bliss with the oncoming night, the puddings were brought in and set ablaze. The blue flames licked the brandy soaked fruits until all the alcohol was gone, leaving only the taste of the brandy left, not that it would have matter anyway. A good few of the crew were drunk off of mulled wine and good company by that point.

All too soon however the night was drawing to a close, the silver coins had been found, a call to Shanks had been issued, the presents had been carefully tucked away, well wishes were given and siblings directed back to their own beds.

_And it was at this point the three brothers,_

_All tucked up in bed;_

_Warm and content with family at either side,_

_Wished the whole world a merry Christmas night_

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I wish you all a very merry holiday whatever religion you may be. R&R~**

**Weird-Sunny-Chan****- Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much XD I guess Shanks in drag is yet another thing I will have to draw for you guys then, huh?**

**yukiko hyuga-chan****- Thank you! Here's an update for you~**

**Jessica Season****- They are cheeky little devils aren't they?~ I'm glad you liked it, if there is any way I could help just let me know. Writing the makeover was really hard so I'm glad you like the description XD I'm glad that his nickname now makes sense to a lot of people.**

**Guest****- Yup, poor, poor Shanks XD**

**JadeOccelot- ****I'm glad you liked it so much! I guess I really do have to draw Shanks in drag now huh? I've already draw Sabo after all.**

**Piratehnter****- ****That is what is going to happen I swear -_-... I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and know that if there is a particular thing you would like to see look out for bonus chapters! Unfortunately there is some angst in this chapter but I tried to even it out with Christmassy fun! Thanks for reading!**

**Nurofen****-Thank you, I'm glad you found it so funny, and honoured you would read it three times!**

**DMCP****- Does posting doodles of this story on Tumblr count? *sweats nervously* Oops? I really want to draw child Ace, Luffy, and Sabo wearing flower crowns, or at least Sabo and Ace wearing flower crowns while Luffy is blowing bubbles everywhere... Sabo after his makeover is already up on Tumblr!**

**It is slightly ridiculous I will give you that. Also, sorry for the slight Garp feels in this chapter too! I will check that out, thank you very much!**

**I'm also looking forward to writing that chapter, unfortunately it is scheduled to be part of chapter 16 if there are no more bonus chapters...I may just change it up a bit and put it in the next chapter if Shanks wants to wish Ace a happy birthday XD**

**There will be some angel imagery but that's not the one I'm afraid. I'll give you a hint though, it is a sea creature. Happy hunting~**

**I hope you enjoy this Christmas present!**

**justaCupcake****- Damn you write long reviews, I'm impressed! Okay, I can do this, deep breaths...**

**They had to be separated because their creator is a sadist who feasts on the hearts of fangirls and drinks their tears in glee. I don't know why Dragon didn't take him back in canon, I'm still mad at him for it though and he better be an amazing character with an amazing reason to get me to forgive him for that! **

**I hate to disagree with you on this point but I think Sabo's parents only cared about what he could gain for them. Outlook even says that he views Sabo's role in life to live for his parents' wishes as it was them that gave him life in the first place. Sabo's mother would rather slap her own son who was already injured than stick up for him after a noble boy of a higher rank threatened him with a weapon. They took him back because they couldn't risk their ranking and reputation with the other nobles if it got out that their son was a runaway and they cleared his record for the same reason. They beat him and locked him in the basement the night of the Grey Terminal Fire to prevent him from warning his brothers so in my eyes they did not care for him as a person at all, only as a tool to bolster their own status. **

**Anyway, to a happier point, SPREAD THE MAKINO LOVE! Older sister/ mother figure, all that matters is she's family!**

**Oh don't worry, Sabo will be looking pretty again soon, and a certain situation will call for him to walk around an island in makeup but until then, my lips are sealed~**

**Narcolepsy is wonderful sometimes~**

**The whole chapter was in chronological order: Izo didn't paint Ace's nails until after he and Thatch had pranked the third division. Hope that clears that up. I tend to think of Thatch as different from the way Sanji views food if that's where you're coming from; Sanji spent a long period of time being starved so of course he can't waste food. Thatch is a prankster as well as a cook, and while he never approves of cooked food going to waste, using the ingredients in a prank? Fair game. At least, that's how I view the character. **

**Yeah, he was pretty amused by the pictures once he had washed his eyes out with bleach XD They now have them framed in the galley~ You're not far off in your imaginings though, but you're going to have to wait for that chapter like everybody else XP**

**It's not a problem at all; just know that you write **_**really**_** long reviews and they're kinda hard to answer. Like I said, there will be more action and I changed the sixth day slightly to include more action so I hope you like that.**

**Ace certainly hasn't, Sabo knows about it, but only Luffy really appreciated what it was before Whitebeard came into their lives! I hope you enjoyed reading about their first proper Christmas!**

**(know that answering your review took an entire page of Microsoft word on size 10 font XP)**

**DragonFire Princess****-Thank you very much, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

**9momentos****– there really isn't XD**

**Thewibblywobblywolf****- I guess that is the downside of the, huh? I'm glad you liked it though and here's another super long chapter for you! I love Izo to bits too, not sure if you've noticed that *nervously laughs* **

**MissJenca****- I'm still trying to get over the fact you read the other comments O-o let alone find them funny! I am thinking about making him get a holster like hers, mainly for the image of Sabo in short shorts with that strapped to his leg that has been haunting me since I read your review, ahh happy thoughts... what are you hoping for? Please tell me!**

**SisterAssassins****- Oh I'm not judging you, I'm trying to figure out how to get you to send me a link to said picture. Share!...All three of them will be dressed up some point because they're all too pretty for life. Also if you like LawLu and Luffy in a dress I recommend you read 'A Nurse, Red Riding Hood, and Alice Walk Into a Costume Party' by 'ClioClover' it's fantastic!**


	12. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this is a day late. I was stuck in a place with no internet :'( but on the bright side this is up on Ace's Birthday.**

**Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews and thank you to all the people who have favourited and followed this story; you all have made my year! 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. **

This day sucked.

It sucked more than one of Garp's training sessions.

Yes my friends, it was that time of the year again; New Years Eve.

In other words, the day before the day Ace hated with a passion and his brothers loved for no good reason.

It was almost January the first and Ace was planning on getting roaringly drunk tonight so he hopefully wouldn't have to be conscious on his birthday. He was going to be eighteen the next day so he wasn't technically underage drinking anymore, or at least that was what he was going to be telling himself later when Marco would try and prevent him entering the preferred state of intoxication.

Besides, Sabo and Luffy had been insufferable the past two days; begging the crew to stop of at a party island for New Years (they had agreed but thought it was just for a New Year's Party: if only!), rushing around said island for the past day trying to find him presents (he had been dragged along too, just so they knew what he liked the look of: none of it was the answer to that question), and dodging the crew's questions about their excitement like they were in a world championship dodge ball competition.

The most popular theory around the crew was that Sabo and Luffy were planning some kind of prank or another way to make Marco's face turn 'pretty colours' (Direct quote from one Monkey D. Luffy).

Ace could only hope his brothers kept up their secrecy about his birthday. Whatever Sabo and Luffy had planned could not be any more mortifying that whatever the rest of the crew would have come up with if Izo's exclamation over Christmas had been anything to go by.

This hype about his birthday also explained why our favourite firecracker had strategically retreated to the crow's nest. In other words Ace was hiding from his brothers and was praying that Luffy didn't feel the need to swing from mast to mast like he usually did every few days.

The hatch suddenly opened, allowing Haruta to lift herself up into the nest only to jump in surprise when she came across a frightened Ace, fists flaming and ready.

"Umm hi?" she tried, taking in the wide eyes, unhealthy pallor, and shaking form that had replaced her usually confident, carefree brother. Ace looked sick; worry and fear was not doing him or his immune system any favours.

When Ace saw that it was only Haruta he relaxed slightly, sinking down into a heap on the floor with a quaky sigh. He tried to smile but it came out as a grimace.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked, wincing slightly at how shaky his voice had sounded. By the alarmed look on Haruta's face it wasn't only himself that had heard it.

"I've got lookout duty." She explained as she crept closer to him, curiosity and worry knowing at her to approach the young fire user. "What are you doing up here? I can understand not wanting to go to the infirmary but if you're sick you need to get checked out."

"What?" he looked at her, bemused as she carefully sat down next to him. It should have occurred to him that he wouldn't be alone in the nest for long, should have at least known the schedule for the lookout times (he was on nest duty tomorrow after all). And why would she have said he was sick? He might have sounded bad but he wasn't ill.

"You look like death with freckles." She told him bluntly, poking his bicep as if that was a good enough medical examination and wincing at the heat that was radiating off his skin. Usually Ace was comfortably warm to be around, like an open fire on a winter's night. But now he was like a furnace, blazing heat that only a shipwright or a blacksmith could handle.

"You need to go to the infirmary. Now!"

With that said she attempted to hoist him upwards, pulling away and blowing on her hands as soon as he was propped upright against the railings. Her hands were steaming.

Ace looked at them guiltily and made an attempt to cool his body down only to be assaulted with nausea and a headache. Shock flickered across his mind. For the first time since eating his Devil Fruit he felt sick to his stomach from something other than worry and his control was suffering for it. Maybe Haruta was right, maybe he should go see the doctors.

With a lot of effort (and stops along the way) Ace made his way down to the deck and towards the infirmary, Haruta hovering beside him the entire time as she waved siblings off right and left, sending Joshua up to the crow's nest to cover her shift as she guided him towards the infirmary.

Hanna was not happy to see him.

She took one look at him and ordered him towards the nearest vacant bed and then ordered one of the nurses to run a cold bath. As Ace was made of fire they needed to almost freeze him before his temperature righted itself to his hotter-than-a-normal-human's temperature.

As the water was being drawn Ace lowered himself into a vacant bed, hand clamped to his forehead to fight off the jackhammers that were ringing in his skull. Haruta sat down in the chair beside his bed, a frown on her usually smiling face.

"Did you eat something funny on the island?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Did you bump your head?"

"No."

"Did you accidently raid the medicine cabinet instead of the pantry?"

"What?" he looked up at her with a glare, confused and exhausted. "No. I don't like taking pills so I would have noticed what I was eating."

"And with his cast iron stomach it wouldn't have made him this ill." Came Hanna's voice as she marched over to the bed, pulling oven gloves onto her hands as she went. She carefully placed her covered hand over his forehead, recoiling slightly at the heat he was giving off before sticking a thermometer in his mouth. One of her nurses ran over with a large bag of ice, placing it on Ace's forehead and running off to fetch more as it started to melt.

Hanna quickly pulled the thermometer out of his mouth, checked it with a frown before rushing off to her office, calling out as she went:

"I'm sorry Commander Haruta but he's going to be allowed no visitors until I know what caused this."

"I'll tell Pops." Haruta assured him, getting up to leave with an encouraging grin. "I'll also make sure Sabo and Luffy know too."

Seeing Ace's nod of acknowledgment, Haruta made her way towards the exit. Once she was safely outside she allowed her smile to drop with a worried sigh before turning to face the sea of worried faces she had left behind her as she had escorted their fire brother to the infirmary.

"He's allowed no visitors until Hanna knows what's wrong with him." She told them, pretty sure that almost all of the second division had gathered in front of the medical doors. "Until then get back to work. Our sister isn't going to let an unknown illness get the better of her."

Making her way through the slightly cheerier pirates Haruta stumbled across a worried blonde and a frightened raven.

"Ace will be fine; you'll see. He'll be back in time for that prank you're planning." She tried to assure the other two of the ASL trio.

"What prank?" Luffy asked, not tearing his eyes from the doors that held their big brother from them.

"The prank you were planning for New Years Day." Haruta said, confused. If the three of them weren't planning a prank then she was going to have to peel potatoes for two weeks due to a bet she had with Vista and Kingdew.

"We weren't planning any prank." Sabo revealed, turning sad and worried eyes towards her. "We were planning Ace's party. It's his birthday tomorrow."

**XXXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXX**

The news spread like wildfire. Their third youngest was going to be eighteen the next day and had hidden it from everyone. Some of the crew were angry with him but that anger eventually simmered down slightly as they heard about the fire user's mystery illness. It wasn't so much they were angry with him as much as they were hurt that he didn't tell them his birthday was coming up, and that the other two didn't feel the need to mention it either.

They were family now right?

They had helped the three brothers celebrate their first Christmas together last week! Hadn't that been enough to get it through their heads that they were family and they would have happily celebrated their birthdays with them?

"That's part of the problem." Sabo explained as he came across Thatch, Marco, and Namur discussing this very problem like everyone else that was on deck at the moment. As one the crew of the Moby Dick turned to stare at the blonde teenager, not even bothering to hide the fact they were eavesdropping.

Thatch turned to him with a frown.

"What problem? The only problem I see is you still don't trust us." He had been one of the most hurt by Ace's secrecy, haven gotten to know the fire user quite well by now and considering him a good friend as well as a little brother. The fact that Ace hid something as important as his birthday from him was incredibly painful to the red-haired cook.

"It's nothing like that." Sabo hurried to assure him, holding his hands up in a placating manner to try and calm down the irate chef.

"Then what is it like Sabo, yoi?" Marco asked calmly, curiosity burning in his dull blue eyes.

Sabo bit his lip, seeming to weigh his options in his head. He didn't know how best to phrase what the problem was and he didn't want to upset Thatch more than he already had. Unfortunately the fact he had to think at all was enough to wound Thatch's already hurt feelings. To Thatch it looked like Sabo was debating with himself whether to tell them the truth or not. He had just opened his mouth to accuse the blonde of doing this when Luffy spoke up.

The fourteen year old had been sitting by the stairs below deck since he learned he wasn't able to see his brother, waiting patiently and pouting for the time he was allowed in the infirmary. But now his dark eyes were on Thatch, and Thatch could see the worry and sadness in the dark depths.

"Ace doesn't like his birthday. He doesn't want it celebrated."

"The why were you making such a fuss?" asked Namur after a long pause as their many siblings tried to comprehend not wanting to celebrate the day you were born.

"Because we're thankful that Ace was born."

With that profound statement Luffy buried his face into his knees, settling down once more to wait for his beloved brother.

Namur turned to Sabo, eyebrow raised. Luffy's statement had not made a lot of sense to him. Usually if someone didn't want to celebrate their birthday you would respect their wishes, thankful for their birth or not. So there had to be something missing; something that Sabo and Luffy knew about Ace that made them disrespect his wishes to show him how grateful they were for their brother's life.

"Ace blames himself for his mother's death." Sabo revealed after a long pause, seeming to hate himself for revealing even that much. As much as he trusted everyone on the Moby Dick, Ace's feelings towards his birth were something only he could share with the crew.

"She died giving birth to him so he doesn't see his birthday as a day to celebrate. He doesn't like talking about it which is why he never mentioned it. But we're thankful to his mother for giving us our big brother so we feel like we have to celebrate it. Sorry for not telling you."

There was a long pause as the crew digested this information. Finally Vista stepped forward, looking in the direction of the infirmary as he knelt beside Luffy.

"How were you planning on celebrating his birthday?" he asked softly, eyes gentle as Luffy turned to stare at him.

"We were going to take him to see the cherry blossoms." He said earnestly, eyes shadowing over as he realised Hanna might not let them take their brother to see the trees if he was still unwell.

"There's a whole grove of them on the island that looks over the sea." Explained Sabo, continuing on for his little brother. "We wanted to show them to him and then have a picnic beneath them. We've gotten him some presents but it now seems like he won't be able to share in any of it."

He trailed off sadly, turning his gaze to the cliff where he knew the grove was located. It had reminded them both of the grove near Foosha Village and knew Ace would have loved it.

Marco clapped a hand to his shoulder with a comforting smile.

"If Ace can't go to the grove, then we're going to have to bring the grove to him, yoi."

Luffy jolted up, staring at Marco with impossibly big eyes.

"You can bring the cherry blossoms here?" he asked, eyes glowing from excitement. A grin was back on his face and all the crew was glad to see it back. Sadness was not a look Luffy wore well and they would do anything to prevent him wearing it ever again.

"We can try, yoi." Promised Marco before turning to the lingering crew, eyes bright in determination. "Search this island from top to bottom; bring back any cherry blossoms you can find. We're going to make this eighteenth one to remember."

With a great cheer the crew divided into their separate divisions before following their commanders into the city, determined to complete their mission. The second division departed with gusto towards the grove of cherry blossoms, led by Sabo and Luffy, every single one of them determined to show Ace how thankful they were that he was alive and that he had been born.

**XXXXXXBREAK LINEXXXXXX**

It had turned out to be the stress that had made Ace ill.

Worry about what his brothers had planned combined with the stress of making sure none of the crew found out about his birthday had messed with the chemicals in his body so badly that he had become ill. The body's natural chemicals weren't a disease that fire could burn out of him after all.

These chemical combined with his hormones had created a very ill, very cranky fire user and had messed with the control he had over his fire because of it. However Hanna was making sure he got plenty of rest to hopefully distress him as he had refrained from informing her why he was so stressed in the first place.

He suddenly felt a rush of sympathy for Marco. If this was the result of paranoia over siblings' actions then he wasn't ever going to pull a prank on his beloved Mama Pineapple ever again (or at least for a couple of weeks).

Luckily however Hanna was allowing him visitors to prevent him from dying from boredom in the stuffy infirmary. So it was his great surprise that Luffy only bounded through the doors two hours after he had been cleared for visitors: usually when he was ill or injured Luffy and Sabo would barely leave his side.

"Ace!" Luffy exclaimed, beaming at him and looking ready to jump onto the bed he was in. Ace quickly held up his hands to protect himself from Luffy's killer hug that was bound to hurt even a logia like him.

He needn't have bothered. Sabo had reached over a restraining hand to their baby brother, making sure he wouldn't jump Ace and accidently hurt him. Sabo gently steered Luffy into the seat beside the bed, trying to squash down the guilt that was bubbling in his gut. Hanna had told the gathered crew exactly what had caused Ace's illness and while she hadn't known what caused the stress, Sabo certainly did.

"Hey Lu." Ace chuckled weakly, repositioning the ice pack on his head. An IV was attached to his left wrist causing steam to rise gently from the skin around the needle. Ace noticed Sabo's gaze and lifted his wrist in a lazy wave, pointing out the bag of ice it was attached to.

"They're pumping ice water through my system so that my temperature doesn't evaporate all the water in my body. They also chucked me into an ice bath to lower my temperature enough so the needle wouldn't melt as soon as it touched my blood."

"You're temperature was that high?" Sabo asked carefully, not being able to tear his eyes away from the needle in his brother's skin.

"It's better now." Ace assured him with a smile, indicating the ice pack on his forehead. There were still ice cubes floating in the cold water, a far cry from earlier in the day when they had melted on impact.

"Ace is going to be okay?" Luffy asked with hopeful eyes and a tentative smile. When Ace nodded in confirmation Luffy cheered, throwing his arms around Ace shoulders and burying his face in his chest. Sabo chuckled lightly at his brother's antics before turning apologetic eyes to Ace.

"We're sorry we caused you so much stress. We never realised it would make you ill."

"Maybe it's time for you to give up on celebrating my birthday then." Ace commented lowly, not wanting any of the nurses to overhear.

"We'll never give that up." Sabo whispered fiercely, not wanting Luffy to hear their arguing when he was so happy that Ace was going to be alright. "You always make a big deal out of our birthdays so we should be allowed to do the same for you."

"Luffy hardly thinks his birthday is important anyway, of course I had to show him that it's important." Ace whispered back, a hand straying automatically to run through Luffy's soft raven hair.

"The let us show you that your birthday is important too." Sabo insisted, turning pleading eyes towards him. They may have nothing on Luffy's puppy dog eyes but Ace still folded like wet paper in front of them. Except when it came to his birthday, it seemed.

"No Sabo. I celebrate your birthdays because they're important. Mine isn't. All my birthday is is a reminder that I should never have been born and that my mother died giving birth to a monster."

"Stop calling yourself that." Sabo pleaded, his heart aching as Ace repeated the word with disgust.

"Monster."

Sabo abruptly stood up, sent Ace a look full of hurt and stormed from the infirmary. Luffy looked up as he left, turning confused eyes to Ace.

"Where did Sabo go?"

"I don't know Lu." Ace sighed, leaning back into his pillows with a hollow feeling in his chest. "I don't know."

XXXXXXBREAK LINEXXXXXX

Sabo stormed through the corridors until he reached Izo's room, throwing himself inside with a frustrated scream before plopping down on the bed across from the startled crossdresser. Izo must have recognised something in his face as all he did was put down the report he was working on, picked up a brush, and sat down next to him with an understanding smile.

He didn't speak immediately, just carefully started brushing Sabo's curls, humming softly as he worked. For several minutes they remained in that peaceful silence with only Izo's soft voice and the gentle swish of the brush for company.

"Berri for your thoughts, darling?" Izo asked softly, running his fingers through the soft golden locks as he combed them neatly into place.

"How do you get someone to stop thinking of themselves in a derogatory way?" Sabo replied, kicking off his boots and pulling his knees up to his chest, knowing Izo would not have appreciated boots on his bed.

"It depends on the person I suppose." Izo replied with a soft sigh after thinking about it for a couple of minutes. "For some people all you have to do is point out all the wonderful things you see in them. For others it will take a great act of self sacrifice for them to realise that you love them and they're worth more than anything in the whole world to you. Sometimes people never stop thinking of themselves in those terms, and will not stop until the moment before their death when they look back on their lives and realise that they were a person all along."

Izo put down his brush and turned Sabo's head to face him, concern filling him when he noticed the barely concealed tears sparkling in the dark blue eyes.

"What brought this on Sabo? You were so happy earlier..."

"...Ace..." Sabo choked out before burying himself into the crossdresser's chest, silent sobs raking his body as that word repeated in his head.

'Monster...Monster...Monster...'

It sickened him that the world had made Ace believe that was all he was. It sickened and saddened him to see his brother hurting from what the world had branded him since birth. That word had split his brother's spirit and crushed his heart so badly that it had only started to heal. And Ace's acceptance of that title hurt him more than any harsh words that were aimed from his mouth.

To see someone as wonderful and kind as Ace brought down by that one word upset him so much that it was physically painful. To know that he was from that world that had branded his brother sickened him. The world was the monster, not Ace; not Ace and definitely not Luffy.

Both Sabo and Ace had found out about Luffy's father and they were both determined to make sure Luffy never faced the scorn and prejudice that Ace had.

"Sabo? What is it that Ace has done?" asked Izo, alarmed as he wrapped his arms gently around the shivering bundle of teenager he had in his lap. Izo could barely understand what had made his younger brother so upset, knowing it took an awful lot to make him cry. He had not even shed tears when confronting his grandfather so whatever had caused this boy to cry must have scared him far more than Garp ever could.

Sabo sniffed and chuckled bitterly, the broken sound causing a chill to go down Izo's spine. Ace had done nothing wrong, unless you counted believing every filthy word the government preached about the son of Roger.

"...Two devils are still more righteous...than any of the angels in this world..." he whispered, resting his head softly against Izo's chest and refusing to answer anymore of his worried questions.

Eventually Izo gave up on getting a straight answer out of the blonde. Instead he carefully started to brush his hair again, trying to lull the blonde into a sleep so he could go and investigate what had caused this upset. It took several minutes but soon Sabo was tucked carefully into Izo's bed and the crossdresser was hurrying towards the infirmary, a scowl planted on his pretty face as he rushed towards his answers.

"Portgas D. Ace explain yourself right now." He hissed as he moved towards the ill brother's bed. Casting a cursory glance towards Luffy, Izo noticed the youngest looked perfectly happy, having stopped his chatter when Izo had burst into the room.

Ace regarded him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not usually Sabo's style to go tell on me when I've done something he doesn't like. What do you want Izo?" there was barely hidden anger in his voice that clearly warned Izo that whatever the crossdresser wanted, Ace wouldn't give it to him. But Izo had also heard something else in Ace's tone; guilt. Ace knew he did something wrong but he was too proud to admit his mistake and he also didn't understand fully what he had done.

"I want to know why Sabo came into my room in a rage only to start crying as soon as I asked him about it." Izo snapped testily, drawing on that guilt and worry he knew every big brother experienced when their younger brother was crying. "The only thing I could get out of him was it had something to do with you and, I'm assuming, how you view yourself; spill Portgas."

Ace sighed, turning to Luffy with a worn smile. Luffy was looking between the two of them with a confused frown, not understanding why Izo was glaring at Ace that way, or why Ace looked like he was bracing himself for one of Sabo's lectures.

"Why don't you wait outside for a bit Lu? I need to talk to Izo about something."

Luffy ignored him, turning to Izo with a questioning gaze.

"Sabo...was crying?" Luffy asked hesitantly, glaring at the floor when Izo nodded. "Who made him cry?"

There was a danger in Luffy's voice that Izo had never heard before and it put him on edge. It rang warning bells in his head that were very familiar but he could not for the life of him remember why. All the same, he didn't think it would be a good idea to inform Luffy that the person who drove his big brother to tears was his eldest brother.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Izo lied with a gentle smile, watching the anger smoulder in the ash of Luffy's eyes. "He's in my room, sleeping if you want to go and sit with him."

Luffy nodded and hesitantly trotted off with a backwards glance to Ace, as if making sure he would still be in bed by the time he got back. Ace waved him away with a gentle smile which slipped off his face as soon as his brother was out the room.

"Sabo and I have had this argument many times before." Ace explained with a heavy sigh, turning to look into Izo's eyes. "It doesn't make me happy to argue with him but I'm not going to change my mind."

"Is this about you not wanting to celebrate your birthday?" he asked shrewdly, placing his hands on his hips as he looked down at his brother.

"Who told you?" Ace grumbled, crossing his arms defensively over his chest.

"Luffy. Sabo merely explained it a little bit more."

"Of course he did. And I suppose he explained why we have this argument every year too."

"No actually." Izo admitted, not liking the look of resentment that had settled itself Ace's face. "I couldn't get anything out of Sabo. We pretty much forced him to tell us why you hate your birthday and while you might see the day as a day to grieve we want to celebrate the day you came into the world. Just because you don't see it as the marvellous day it is doesn't mean you can send your little brother into tears over it."

Izo settled down into Luffy's vacated chair with a haughty sniff, intending on staying there until Ace had given him a clearer answer to why Sabo had come to him for comforting.

Ace however was in shock.

Sabo had not told them the main reason why he hated his birthday, nor had he mentioned who Ace's father was; part of the reason Ace hated his birthday was because of that man. Sabo had also obviously not told Izo about how the world viewed him or about how he felt about it. Sabo never usually cried after their arguments...

Unless he was crying in secret because he felt Ace couldn't comfort him after each argument and now that he finally had someone to cry to he was letting out all his frustrations and hurt on someone who would be able to listen.

Ace felt like he had been punched. Straight in the stomach and then had his heart ripped out and crushed. He had sworn to himself to be a better big brother and yet he had consistently failed each year for the past seven years.

Izo swathe look of defeated misery in his eyes and sighed softly. He hadn't meant to upset all the brothers, only to find answers. He got up and ruffled Ace's hair gently before turning to leave.

"What did he say?" Ace asked in a hushed whisper.

Izo turned to see wide silver eyes gazing at him.

"Only something about devils being more righteous than all the angels on Earth." Izo explained with a graceful shrug before gliding out the room, leaving Ace to his thoughts.

**XXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXX**

Once Ace had woken up the next morning he was quick to ask Hanna if he could be discharged, taking her cheery 'Happy Birthday' with a pained grin as he headed out of the infirmary, temperature back to normal and headache gone. Those doctors really could work wonders.

As soon as he stepped outside of the infirmary his eyes were drawn towards the floor where pale pink petals lay scattered across the hard wood floor. Bending down, he picked one of the delicate petals up and brought it close to his face, recognising it as a cherry blossom from the colour and faint scent that wafted through the air. There was a thin trail of them leading away from the infirmary door and around the corner.

Curious, Ace followed them.

The first trail led up to the stairs that lead to the main deck. At the base of the stairs they had been arranged into an arrow pointing upwards. There was a second trail leading away from the stairs but Ace ignored that trail for the moment, curious about the first trail and deciding to follow it into the bright sunlight.

The first thing that he noticed was the pink. He actually had to rub his eyes to see if they were playing tricks on him. No, it was really there.

All across the deck bundles of cherry blossoms spilled out of the railings. Petals scattered the deck like raindrops. The mast had been looped with gardening wire, allowing the delicate pink blossoms to spiral upwards into the sky. As soon as Ace was on deck Marco gave the signal to unfurl the sails. Pale blossoms fell from the sky as the white sails unfurled in the light breeze.

Ace spun around in awe, trying to see every part of the deck at once from the petal splattered deck to the blossoming sky. Soft pink flowers decorated his dark hair as his eyes danced in delight, silver reflecting the pale pink sky.

"Happy Birthday, yoi." Marco commented with a smile as he walked up to the dazed teen.

Ace turned to look at him with a searching gaze.

"Who did all this?" he asked, not seeing how anyone could have managed to pull off such a feet.

"All of us." Came a cheerful voice from behind him. Haruta came up beside him with a beaming smile and tugged his hand to get him to follow her around the deck, listening as she babbled.

"Sabo and Luffy had originally planned to take you to the cherry blossom grove and have a birthday picnic. But when you got ill, we all decided we'd bring the cherry blossoms to you. We all searched the island for cherry blossoms and then Izo and Sabo set about arranging them all. Luffy came up with the petal trail idea though."

"Luffy did?" Ace asked, trying to distract himself from the guilt that was clawing at his stomach. He still hadn't apologized to his blonde brother and to learn he helped organise all this was making him wish he had just stayed in bed.

"Yup." Haruta chirped, leading him up to Whitebeard's chair. "He said it would be like an adventure."

Ace laughed lightly. That did sound like Luffy.

A rumbling chuckle caused his eyes to go upwards to meet his Pops' smiling face. His wrinkled eyes were softened into a gentle, proud smile. Luffy was perched on his knee, grinning down at his brother happily.

"Happy eighteenth brat."

"Thanks Pops." Mumbled Ace, blushing slightly at the warmth that filled him from that simple phrase. He averted his eyes to the ground in shame, annoyed at how happy that phrase had made him. This day shouldn't make anyone happy. But every year his brothers celebrated and now his new family were going to celebrate it too, as if it was something that made them happy.

An excited yell was all the warning he got before Luffy jumped right at him from Whitebeard's knee, tackling him to the ground in an all body hug. His arms came up to wrap around his slight waist, hugging Luffy back with a gentle care that his little brother seemed unable to give him.

"Happy Birthday Ace." Luffy yelled into his ear, a beaming smile spread across his face as he leaned back to stare at his big brother. "Thatch is making you a birthday breakfast."

"That sounds great Lu." Ace chuckled before staring at him with serious eyes. "I'll get it later. Do you know where Sabo is?"

Marco raised a curious eyebrow, unbelieving that Ace would postpone food for any reason. Luffy's smiled dimmed slightly as he clambered off his brother.

"Sabo's on the special seat." Luffy informed him as Ace stood up, dusting off his shorts as he straightened.

"Thanks Lu." Ace smiled before turning towards the figurehead, not bothering to discourage Luffy from following him as he knew his brother would follow whether Ace wanted him to or not. For all that Ace and Sabo were protective of Luffy; Luffy took the award for retribution against anyone who harmed his family in any way. And it was obvious in the darkening of his eyes that Luffy had not found out what had made Sabo cry last night.

Ace found Sabo lying on his back, staring up at the sky with a thoughtful expression on his face. When Sabo saw Ace he sat up with a smile.

"Happy Birthday Ace."

"Sabo...I'm sorry." Ace dropped to the floor, bowing his head in shame for hurting his brother.

Sabo looked at him, shocked. Trading a helpless look with a clueless Luffy Sabo reached forward and clasped a hand on Ace shoulder, using the other to grasp his chin, forcing his brother to meet his eyes.

"What for silly?" Sabo grinned, a gentle light shimmering in his eyes. "All is forgiven. It's your birthday and it's a day to celebrate and be thankful for. You don't have to apologize for anything Blossom; not for hurting me last night, or becoming a pirate, or even being born. Not today, not ever." With a soft smile Sabo leaned forward and kissed Ace's forehead gently, whispering a blessing in a language Ace didn't understand before holding out a hand for help getting up.

With a shaky smile Ace reached out and hoisted both himself and Sabo back onto their feet, only to be tackled to the ground by a gleeful Luffy. They spent the next few minutes laughing in delight, all their worry and pain forgotten in those few precious moments. In those few moments it didn't matter to them that two of them had been born devils and found a brother in a boy born to be an angel. It didn't matter to them who their fathers were or what the world might call them.

All that mattered to them in those short moments was the sound of their laughter, the roar of the sea below them, and the gentle fall of cherry blossoms that descended from the sky, twirling on the draft from the sea and their dreams.

Eventually though the moment ceased and Luffy sat up with a grin.

"Can we go eat cake for breakfast now?"

With a laugh they all got back up, ready to go and have a birthday breakfast fit for a king. As Luffy raced off in front Sabo jogged up next to Ace with a mischievous grin that put Ace on edge.

"What did you do?"

"Don't tell Mama Marco or Luffy but a certain Red Haired Yonko might be coming by later to wish you a happy birthday."

Ace stared at him in disbelief before breaking out in laughter, grinning brightly at the thought of seeing Shanks again. Though keeping Luffy away from him was going to be a pain in the butt.

**A/N: And that's it! Happy New Year Everyone! R&R~**

**Insanity-is-Freedom-**** Thank you very much! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too!**

**T51b Moridin****- Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story~**

**Kid****- yeah the last chapter was pretty long wasn't it? Oops. Blame it on writing the twelve days of Christmas. This one isn't as long though so I hope you enjoy it.**

**DMCP****- Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

**My Tumblr url is asl-scarlet-sorceress. There is a link on my profile page so you should be able to see it without having a tumblr account. But if you do make one please tell me your url so I can follow you!**

**Heh heh sorry for the feels. I had meant to make this chapter happier but then angst happened and yeah...sorry. Please don't hate for not including Shanks in this chapter he did try to make it but he didn't manage to, missed them by a hair. And don't you worry, I have no plans of abandoning this fic, especially not when I have a friend whispering headcanons in my ear every free period I have. **

**I'm glad you enjoyed your Christmas present. I will enjoy my Christmas cookies with delight, thank you very much~ **

**(...yes...yes it is...shhh...)**

**JadeOccelot****- I think they have multiple religions not just the main seven of the world today. There have been references to heaven and hell that sound similar to Christianity but then there have been elements of pagan religions and others too. But the religion wasn't the main focus and I'm glad you enjoyed the Moby Dick's festivities~**

**justaCupcake****- Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year~**

**That is very true. I should have probably tried to make it clearer that it was in chronological order. You didn't need to trouble yourself so much. But thank you for the consideration.**

**The way I see it is that because Luffy came from a village he would know more about it as it is a widely celebrated holiday so that's why I made it so that he had tried to explain to Ace and Sabo but they needed the large family experience to understand about why Christmas is so special. It was their first proper Christmas for both Ace and Sabo despite Sabo knowing about it and seeing it celebrated beforehand.**

**You don't need to erase it; I enjoy learning about how other people celebrate the holidays. On the Moby Dick there's a food fight almost every dinner so they use Christmas to practise those long dormant manners~**

**Whitebeard is the only one who knows about Luffy plans to leave at seventeen. The rest of the Whitebeards know Luffy wants to be Pirate King and they know his brothers have 'kidnapped' him for now but they don't know when he's planning to leave (and they might be hoping that they can change his mind about leaving; good luck to them.)**

**The reason Luffy doesn't has the tattoo at the moment is partly because of his age but mostly because Luffy is afraid of needles so they're looking for a way to give him a tattoo without scaring him too badly. For the moment if he wants the mark to be seen he'll wear the scarf but as they are trying to keep him hidden from the government and the marines its best if he doesn't openly wear the mark or show he's part of the Whitebeard Pirates. Don't worry it all comes together in later chapters.**

**I'm glad you liked the presents, I've been tempted to draw Marco with his mug for a while now but I'm not sure if I can because it means drawing hands :( **

**It never stopped being a dangerous life. But what's the point on living such a dangerous life if you don't get any joy out of it? **

**And feel free to ask about the first kisses if you want; doesn't mean I'll tell you much about them though~**

**DragonFire Princess****- thank you very much**

**general yumi****- I'm glad you found it cute. And I'm honoured you like my story so much. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

**Thewibblywobblywolf****- this has more Sabo and Ace angst than fluff so I apologize, I just love the idea of people brushing Sabo's hair when he needs comforting so you have Izo and Sabo fluff this chapter~ And I'm glad I could make you happy on Christmas.**

**MissJenca****- I'm sorry this one isn't as long but I didn't have twelve days to go through with this one. My reviewers always give me fun mental images which I then try and turn into real images and then I end up failing miserably at it and sticking to mental images~ That is very true for Luffy and he does end up doing that but he hasn't really had the need to so far. **

**Catflower Queen****- ...Maybe?... I have seen some pictures that I could never unsee that didn't help and now I can't think of Garp having any other type of present XD**

**Yes Luffy is going to learn some of Haki and so will Ace and Sabo especially when the crew discover Luffy and Ace's Conquerors' Haki. He will get the tattoo once the crew figure out a way for him to have one done without the needles scaring him too much; the boy wants a tattoo but is scared of needles, it's just typical isn't it? Here's a chapter about Ace birthday though, hope you enjoyed it!**

**I'm glad you are enjoying this story so much! I'm glad you liked the drawing, sorry I'm not very good at it just yet. **

**Nurofen****- Thank you! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!**

**SisterAssassins****- it is a wonderful story isn't it? Perfect for mental images and inspiration for art work~ It was an adorable picture, any of those three in dresses is the best thing in the world. Thank you very much for linking it to me!**


	13. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey everyone! Who else has just returned to school/college and is already completely exhausted?~ Urgh, teachers don't seem to understand the term 'extra-curricular commitments'! *sighs* Also it looks like another bonus chapter might be issued in a couple chapters time and you all have already sent in a few ideas, are you all mind readers? *hides under tinfoil hat***

**Okay warnings for this chapter: there is some strong language and scenes of violence. It's nothing graphic but if you don't like it, don't read this chapter~ Also, sorry it's kinda short, college has been demanding all my energy lately. **

**Disclaimer****: I do not own One Piece **

It was dark when Luffy awoke.

Dark, and cold, and lonely.

He looked up at the small, barred window high above his cell with barely concealed longing as he wrapped his beaten arms carefully around his bruised and aching stomach. He sniffed slightly as he stared at the damp floor beneath him, trying not to flinch as the gloom seemed to leach his hope away from him; just like the cuff around his wrist seemed to leech all the strength he had, leaving only emptiness and despair.

They would be coming to 'interrogate' him again soon.

But he would not fall so easily. He had not given into Bluejam when he was seven, and heaven damn him if he was going to give into these shitty bounty hunters. They would not get anything from him...he wouldn't ever betray his brothers and they were stupid to even think he would.

...All the same, he wished they'd find him soon.

He wanted to be wrapped up in Ace's warm hugs and told that they'd never be separated again. He wanted to see Sabo's sunny smiles and listen to his soothing voice that spun tales of magic and monsters. He wanted to see Marco's smirk and exasperated eye-roll whenever he would call him 'Mama Pineapple' and to hear Thatch's boisterous laugh as he downed his twenty fourth plate. He missed Haruta's pranks and Namur's scolding when his fishman brother had to save him from the ocean.

He wanted his family.

'Two days really were too long to go without them' he thought as he curled into a tighter ball, glaring tiredly at the cuff around his wrist.

He hated that cuff. If it wasn't for that he would be able to escape this prison and go find his family again. They would have to be looking for him by now.

A clang and the clatter of footsteps jolted him out of his thoughts and made his attention focus on the flickering candle light that was steadily floating along towards him. Luffy grit his teeth, barely holding back a snarl as two men appeared before him.

One of them was relatively short. He was a balding man of his late forties but had a scraggly blonde beard that was not well looked after. A scar ran jagged across the middle of his face; cutting across his right eye, over his nose and through the middle of his lips before it ended on his chin. Either someone had terrible aim with a sword, or they had a terrible doctor.

The other man was taller than his companion, broad shouldered with long dark hair. He held the lantern high, casting his eyes into shadow: but the electric blue sparkled maliciously in a way that promised more pain if Luffy didn't give him what he wanted this time.

Well it just so happened to be tough luck for him.

Even as his body screamed at him from untreated wounds Luffy spat at the ground near the taller man's feet, glaring up at him with hellfire burning in the dark depths of his eyes.

The man smirked, seemingly pleased at how Luffy still continued to defy him. He waved at the smaller man to open the door to the cell they had thrown him in. Luffy continued to glare at him as he approached, subtly flexing his cuffed wrist as his eyes flickered to the open doorway and then back to the man's face. If only he wasn't cuffed with seastone he might have stood a chance at escaping there and then.

Instead the man bent down to stare into his face with a smug smirk, letting his putrid breath fan out over Luffy's face as he cupped one of his cheeks in rough, grimy hands. Luffy speculated that the man probably had more dirt underneath his fingernails than Luffy had on his entire body, even though he had been stuck in a filthy cell for two days.

"Who would have ever thought the mighty Whitebeards would have such a weak child on their ship?" even the man's voice seemed to ooze slime and corruption. He spat the Whitebeard's name like it was the foulest curse on all the seas, tightening his grip on Luffy's face as he tilted his head back to study him more carefully.

Luffy growled deep in his throat, baring his teeth at the man who dared to disrespect his family. This reaction seemed only to amuse the hulking brute, a coarse laugh echoing through the shadows of the cage he was in.

"What's the matter little one?" he asked with a feral grin, a sadistic light entering the bright blue eyes as they stared at him through the darkness. "Did something I say upset you? This just proves how pathetic the Whitebeards really are. Only those weak hearted fools would allow such a scrawny brat on board."

Before he could continue he was cut off as a pained cry left his foul lips. Luffy had used his preaching to his advantage and driven his teeth deep into the man's hand. Putrid blood gushed from the wound into Luffy's mouth, dribbling down his chin like crimson poison as he glowered up at the man in furious hatred.

"Pops is the Strongest Man in the World." Luffy bit out, very word driving his teeth deeper into the brute's hand causing him to growl in pain. "And he's coming for you. All of them are coming...and then we'll show you how weak we are."

For the first time since he entered that room something ugly and dark shimmered in the man's eyes before a shiny, metallic black hand slapped Luffy across the face, forcing him to let go of the hand with a pained yelp, sliding back and slamming against the other side of the cell from the force of the blow.

The man turned around and marched back to the open door, pushing his companion aside as he slammed it shut, snarling in anger. He wheeled around to glare hatefully through the bars at Luffy who glared back at him through a heavy nosebleed, cheek already bruising from the violent attack.

"Your so called 'Pops' isn't coming for you." He hissed through the steel bars, candlelight flickering across his waxy face. "And if I have it my way, you'll never see the light of day again. Never!"

With that final threat the two men melted into shadows, leaving Luffy to curl into a ball at the bottom of his cold, dark cell and pray that his brothers would be there soon.

He really wanted to go home.

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXX**

The Moby Dick was in uproar. Two days ago they had been attacked as they made port to restock their supplies and two days ago those bounty hunters had shot Namur and made off with their baby. And damn it all to heck if they weren't out for blood.

Ace paced the deck in a furious whirlwind of flames and ashes, barely acknowledging anyone who tried to calm the fire-user down (not that anyone was trying particularly hard. They were too angry themselves to even think on the idea for too long.) If Luffy had been harmed in any way they wanted all the fires of hell on hand to burn those bastards to the ground.

Sabo wasn't much better. He sat on the figure head, staring out into the distance as he silently willed the winds to go faster. They had already locked on to the island the hunters had gone to with their log pose but they weren't going fast enough for Sabo's liking, or any of their liking to be honest. What if they were too late? What if Luffy was hurt or scarred for life?

Images of his baby brother flashed before his eyes, always repeating the nightmare he and Ace had burst into when they were ten.

...Luffy...

...Sweet, innocent, bumbling little Luffy, stung up and limp like a puppet with only one string to hold it up. He could still remember the pool of blood that had reflected the dangling form above it, glistening in the harsh light of the setting sun that had bathed the cabin in fire. Watching his older brother pace around the deck Sabo knew Ace was remembering it too. Only Ace had other horrors to plague his spirit when it came to imagining the state they might find their brother in.

And they would find him.

They had to.

All the crew were up in arms, calling for blood as they powered on towards the island. Sabo was too worried to even be surprised by this show of violence that he had never seen in the peaceful crew before.

One of the worst by far was Marco. He had shifted into his phoenix form a day ago and had not shifted since then. He spent all day and all night flying out as far as he could before circling back to the Moby Dick and repeating the process. They would know as soon as they were approaching the island, Marco could hardly be kept from tearing them limb from limb for what they could be doing to their baby brother.

Thatch came up beside him with his mouth in a grim slash, teasing smile nowhere to be seen. The laughter had vanished from his eyes, showing only a protective determination that Sabo was sure mirrored his own.

"We'll be there soon." Thatch assured, voice low and soothing as it washed over Sabo's frayed nerves like a soothing balm, allowing him to lift his head clear of his memories for now to nod at the older man.

"Marco has never let us down before and I doubt he'll start when our baby brother is on the line."

Sabo digested this with a stiff nod, remembering with a shock that they weren't alone in caring for Luffy anymore. They had an entire ship filled with brothers and sisters who wanted nothing more than to make sure their youngest was back on board safely and that those who thought it was a good idea to take him in the first place were properly dealt with.

A flash of blue fire lit up the sky, heralding Marco's return to the ship. Even Ace looked up and halted his pacing when instead of flying around the ship and returning out to sea, Marco touched down beside Whitebeard's chair, transforming as he did so and landing on the deck in a low crouch. He carefully picked himself up, turning to stare at their father with frigid anger lining his entire body, blue eyes blazing in rage and horror.

"The island is coming up ahead. They have an entire base in the middle of it and children are being carted around like possessions as we speak, yoi." He bit out, trembling slightly as he remembered what he had seen. Children as young as four dressed in burlap sacks being forced down into the hulls of shipping boats, ready to be shipped off at a moment's notice. He didn't know whether to be relieved or scared that he hadn't seen Luffy among the teenagers he had spotted.

Whitebeard nodded his head solemnly, standing up and walking towards the railings that overlooked the main deck. All his children gazed up at him; worry, fear, and anger burned brightly in their eyes as they all grasped their weapons tightly in their hands, ready to go and rescue their youngest and the other children that had been stolen by those bounty hunters. He would make sure all the children were returned to the island they had been taken from, or at least find them good homes to go to until they were old enough to go to sea themselves. But for the moment he wouldn't rest until his littlest was back on board with his impossibly wide smile and infectious smile.

"My children." He called to them all, raising his bisento into the sky as he did so. "Make sure all the children are safe and Luffy is back before we raze this island to the dark depths of the ocean where it belongs."

A cheer rose up from the many pirates on board before they rushed to their positions, all of them anxious to remind these monsters why they were one of the most feared pirate crews that sailed the Grand Line.

Whitebeard nodded in satisfaction as he watched his children rush to their battle stations before turning golden eyes onto the now visible island.

'Hold on a little longer my son.' He thought as he frowned in the direction of the island that was trapping his youngest, raising his hand in signal to hoist the colours of war. 'We're coming for you.'

**XXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXX**

The ceiling shook above him as screams could be heard down the corridor, muffled by walls and dirt. Luffy attempted to push himself up only for one of his arms to buckle from the strain. He stared at his left arm, slightly shocked to see yellow gunk oozing slowly from the gash that ran the length of his arm. He frowned and bit his lip. Sabo had once told him that yellow stuff coming from a wound was a bad sign.

He slowly brought his cuffed hand up and painstakingly tore a long strip from his old blue t-shirt. Carefully he bundled up the strip of cloth and pressed it to the open wound, hissing slightly at the pain and wrinkling his nose as a sickly sweet smell pervaded his nostrils. It smelt disgusting and it was sore to boot. Sabo said covering it up would make it better not make it hurt more.

A violent quake shook the ceiling above him, sending down clouds of dust and dirt into the already dirty cell. A ferocious cough forced its way out of his lungs as he breathed in the polluted air, eyes watering as he gazed up at the shaking ceiling. Screams and shouts told him a fight was taking place but as he was now he couldn't do anything about it.

He was cuffed with seastone, bleeding from both arms and a shallow gash across his back, one of his ankles was broken or at least sprained, and he hadn't eaten in the past two days apart from two slices of bread last evening. He was exhausted, starving, wounded, and scared. He would be no good if the fight was brought down to the cells.

But if there was the chance that it was the Whitebeard Pirates...

Luffy had to be ready.

Slowly, body aching as he moved, Luffy reached his cuffed hand forward and dragged his body along the ground. He stopped to take a break for a short moment before continuing on.

Ever so slowly he managed to drag his unresponsive body to the bars of his cell that opened out on to the corridor, leaning his forehead against the cool, dull steel. Dark eyes blinked tiredly in the direction the men usually came from every two hours (not that he'd know how often they came, he had no way to track time after all apart from what they'd tell him.), trying to see what was going on from his limited view, spread-eagled on the ground.

A gunshot sounded down the corridor and footsteps echoed loudly on the walls as the two men ran into sight. The short one had a gash across his shrivelled head and was holding a hand to his side over an ever growing bloodstain. The tall man was sweating lightly with blood covering his hands. As he wiped his forehead some of the blood came off, streaking across his face like gruesome war paint.

"You." He snarled as he forced open the door and hoisted Luffy up by his injured arm, not seeming to care that he was getting pus all over his hands now too as he dragged the teenager out of his cell and further down the hall.

Luffy bit his lip, refusing the let his captors hear the pained whimpers that were building in the back of his throat. Instead he concentrated on not letting his swollen ankle bash against the ground too regularly.

"Those Whitebeards are crazy." He heard the smaller man mutter and a blinding grin threatened to break across his face at the news.

His family was here!

They had come to save him!

"Need to get more seastone. Need to stop that firebrat from destroying everything." He continued to mutter as he rung his hands together, looking over his shoulder with a paranoid glance.

"Don't touch Ace." Luffy growled, strength returning to his voice and eyes as he heard the threat against his big brother. He wouldn't let these men hurt Ace. He couldn't let that happen.

"Oh and I suppose you don't want us to touch your precious Phoenix either, huh?" the behemoth growled, tugging Luffy's arm until he was dangling in the man's grip. He was glaring at Luffy, not even bothering to hide his rage anymore. He couldn't believe that this scrawny, rubber brained idiot was what those pirates were fighting so hard for. He had seen with his own eyes the burned corpses of some of his most powerful men, laid waste by the furious fires of that freckled brat. He could barley believe the teenager had that much power. Wibo had barely managed to save himself from the golden talons of Marco the Phoenix and now had the gashes across his scalp to prove it.

Something so beautiful should not be that deadly.

"Don't hurt Marco." Luffy shouted, bringing his good leg up with considerable effort to kick weakly at the man's side. The seastone had drained most of his energy, making his limbs slow and sloppy. Luffy felt like he was moving through one of Makino's jellies, with every limb just wanting to bounce back into place.

"Beat him later Ikram." Wibo warned his fellow bandit, placing a restraining hand on one of Ikram's large arms to stop him from hitting the rubber kid again. "We need to get out of here. I'm not sure if that blonde brat or that crossdresser saw us come down here."

Ikram took a calming breath and nodded in agreement, composure hitching itself back onto his stony face. Wibo was right; he could take his anger out on the stubborn brat later. He had seen the crossdresser look at them as he shot down one of their guards, there was a risk that he had decided to follow them. And if that was true he was most likely bringing the blonde brat with him. Ikram couldn't repress the shiver that ran down his spin as his mind flashed back to the glimpse he got of the golden haired teenager.

While Fire-Fist's anger had inspired a hushed awe inside of him, that blonde only inspired frigid terror to take hold of his heart, not letting it go until it froze over at the very thought of him. Those glacial eyes would haunt him even after his dying breath.

"Sabo and Izo are going to beat you up so badly." Luffy grunted, confused but pleased when he felt Ikram's fingers freeze around his arm. He knew his brothers could inspire terror in anyone if they wanted to. And Izo was probably one of the most observant people Luffy knew, second only to Marco. If these two had seen Izo then there was no way he'd miss these two.

"That we are." Whispered a soft voice from the shadows behind them. Ikram and Wibo spun around, Ikram lifting Luffy off his feet and pulling him in front of him like a shield. Luffy couldn't help the tired grin that broke on his face.

There in the shadows stood Sabo and Izo, both of them with their arms crossed and concern flashing in their eyes as they caught sight of the state his body was in.

"Izo?" Sabo asked in a soft whisper, looking at the crossdresser out of the corner of his eye. The red skin of his scar glistened in the dim candle light, standing out starkly against the tanned marble. "Will you be able to take Luffy back to the Moby Dick? These gentlemen and I need to have a little talk."

He smiled a cold, frosty smile that sent shivers down the two men's spines. Izo took one look at his companion before nodding stiffly, whipping out his gun and shooting it at Ikram's foot. The loud bang reverberated in the air as Ikram let out a yell of pain, dropping Luffy as he hopped about, clutching his bleeding foot as tears stung his eyes.

Izo darted forward and picked his baby brother up carefully, swinging him into his arms with tender care and a soft smile.

"Why don't we get out of here now, little one?" He asked, kissing Luffy's grubby forehead gently. "Let's go home."

"Home." Luffy repeated happily, snuggling into Izo's warm chest as the feeling of safety blossomed in his heart. He was back with his brothers now and he was going home!

Sabo nodded to Izo before turning back to the panicking men, taking note of the seastone on his brother's wrist as Izo carried him away. When he heard the quick footfalls retreat down the corridor he directed a chilling smile towards the quaking men.

"Now. Why don't we have a little _chat _on why you shouldn't hurt children, hmm?"

**XXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXX**

Fires raged around the room as Izo carried Luffy up out of the cellars. The feminine man quickly ducked several bullets as he rushed towards where the living furnace was currently battling it out with four of the bounty hunters. Well, battling may have implied the hunters were fighting back.

As it was they were barely recognisable as people. Bruised lumps of flesh bulged from their limbs and their skin had taken on the colour and texture of an overdone lobster. Ace was shaking them furiously, shoulders and head aflame in his rage, and screaming in their faces; demanding they tell him where his baby brother was.

"Ace!" Izo called, holding up the worryingly limp form of Luffy for his brother to see. Relief washed over Ace's face light sunlight in an ocean storm. He dumped the four men unceremoniously on the ground before rushing over to where Izo had retreated to, shielding Luffy from the gunfire.

Ace gently cradled his bruised and battered face in tender hands, stroking his dimples softly as Luffy smiled up at him, glad to be back with his brother again. Ace felt his rage bubble back to the surface as he took in Luffy's state, noticing the seastone cuff that was still clamped tightly around his wrist.

"We need to get that off of him." Ace growled softly, staring at the bulky stone in disgust. It was that vile stone that had almost cost Sabo his entire right arm when Ace had been carless and had the experience of being shackled in it himself. Needless to say seeing it again did not bring back happy memories.

"I know that Ace." Izo replied, passing Luffy carefully into his older brother's waiting arms. "Sabo is still down in the cellars with the two that had him. If they have the key Sabo will get it. You can protect Luffy better than I can at the moment so let me find the key while you keep our brother safe."

He was about to dart off to inform the others of this development when a small grubby hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve. Luffy was looking at him with wide, imploring eyes.

"What about everyone else? Is anyone hurt? What's happened to Marco?" he pleaded, desperate to know if everyone was still safe.

"Everyone was fine last time I checked." Izo comforted, flashing him a reassuring smirk to cover up the surprise he felt when he heard Luffy call Marco by his name. "Marco was fighting in the main hall when I saw him last. He had been shot several times but it won't get him down for too long. Though I need to warn him about the seastone."

A dark, ugly look filled Luffy's eyes at the mention of Marco being shot and Izo had to remind himself that Luffy hadn't really seen Marco's regenerative powers in action before. What an awful way to learn about them now. Izo carefully ruffled the matted raven locks before shooting off to the main hall to warn his Devil Fruit siblings and explain about their new objective. They couldn't destroy the island until the key was found!

"We need to go help Marco." Luffy demanded, turning his head to stare pleadingly up into Ace's worried eyes. He couldn't stand it if one of his precious friends was hurt trying to get him back.

Ace shook his head, sending out a wave of flames that roasted the fool that thought he could sneak up on them.

"Marco can handle his own. We need to trust him." At Luffy's indignant look Ace frowned. "I don't like it either Lu but you can't walk at the moment and you've got seastone attached to you. My first priority is you, my second priority is you, and my third priority is you! Do you understand that yet?" he snapped pressing his forehead against his little brother's as a way of reassuring himself that his precious baby brother really was back in his arms.

"But Marco's our brother too!" Luffy protested, turning fearful eyes towards the direction that Izo had run just as an explosion rocked the foundations of the building.

"Yes but what is the point on rescuing you if you're just going to kill yourself trying to protect everyone as we get away?" Ace bit out; annoyed that of all times Luffy had to argue with him it would be right in the middle of a rescue operation. He glanced around quickly, sending out more waves of flame as more bounty hunters seemed to realise he was not participating in the fighting anymore. He was a bit hands full to go around clobbering the sick, twisted monsters that stole his sweet little brother from him.

Call him overprotective if you will but right now all he wanted was to find Sabo, get out of here with everyone in toe, and get Luffy treated; who cared how many idiots got burned to a crisp on the way?

Luffy frowned at him before letting out a sigh and resting his head on his brother's shoulder. He didn't feel right about leaving all his siblings to fight while he did nothing. He wanted to help them all and make sure they were all safe. He hated being so weak when he needed to be strong.

Ace looked down at him with a troubled look before kissing the top of his head gently, trying to reassure his brother that none of this was his fault. He knew he was asking a lot but he wanted to keep Luffy safe now that they had finally gotten him back.

Suddenly smoke poured from the entrance to the cellars as an explosion went off in the confined space.

"Sabo." Ace and Luffy cried out in shock as they watched the smoke continue to pour from the passageway. A minute later their blonde brother appeared, waving the smoke away from his face and coughing delicately into his hand as he left the passageway and spotted his worried brothers. With a cheerful grin he made his way over to the two of them, holding up a key that dangled on a golden chain, glinting merrily in the harsh light of the fire.

"Let's get that stupid lump of rock of you now Lu." He chirped, grinning happily as he bent down to examine the seastone, trying to find the key hole.

"Something's put you in a good mood." Ace observed, trying to hide his scowl as he surveyed Sabo's gentle motions as he manoeuvred Luffy's wrist around before he finally found the key hole with a cry of delight.

Sabo turned to grin at him as the seastone fell away with a heavy clunk. His whole being shone with happiness as the colour rushed back to Luffy's cheeks, replacing the sickly shade with his natural rich tan. Only his eyes revealed the truth; they were wintry and dim like arctic waters polluted with all of humanity's misery and hate.

Something had happened down in those cellars and Ace wasn't sure he wanted to find out what it was.

Luffy let out a relieved laugh as he felt a rush of warmth surge through his body, sending tingles all down his arms and legs. He suddenly felt wide awake and gazed around the rooms with sharp eyes, the haze of exhaustion and pain lifting from the dark orbs. It was this sudden clarity that allowed him to see the darkness that still lingered in both of his brothers' eyes, a darkness that tended to haunt them whenever he was injured.

"We need to go." Luffy remarked, tilting his head into Ace's chest and flinching as another explosion rocked the building. A chunk of plaster fell from the gilded ceiling on to some unsuspecting hunters below, cracking their skulls and sending them into a crumbled heap on the cold marble floor. They did not stir again.

The two older brothers looked at each other before coming to the silent agreement that their brother was right. They needed to go, now! Before the building collapsed on top of them.

Ace rushed towards the entrance, Luffy still clutched tightly in his arms, letting Sabo beat down all the idiots that tried to cut off their path. Whenever they would run into their fellow crewmates they would call out to them, calling for them to retreat and spread the word; they had got their little brother and they were going home now.

The call was taken up and carried through all corners of the building; Luffy was safe and back with them now.

But just as the Whitebeards became energized by this call, the bounty hunters saw them running and decided that the Whitebeards must have been running because they were cowards. The bounty hunters yelled abuse at the retreating pirates, blocking their paths with furious attempts at engaging them in battle once again only this time they wanted to be the ones slaughtering the pirates.

A bloodthirsty and desperate cry rose up from the men and women, raising their swords and pistols high into the gleaming sunlight as they charged the retreating pirates, intent on blocking their path to their ship.

Just as the two forces were about to meet a burst of blue fire erupted from the collapsing building, twisting and expanding as it spiralled into the clear sky above them. All the hunters stared, mesmerised by the shimmering sparks of clearest blue that joined with the golden rain that fell gently back to earth. The flaming sphere shrank before blasting a wave of golden light outwards in a wide circle, revealing the Phoenix inside.

Marco let out a shrill cry as he dived towards the line of bandits, fire spreading out behind him like a blazing blanket of devastation. The enemy tried to duck, crouching low to the ground as if that would save them from the fire. But Marco's eyes had caught Luffy's battered form and the heat of his flames intensified with his anger.

They never stood a chance.

The inferno blazed white from the heat as the Phoenix skimmed over them, setting them all ablaze. The hunters writhed and shrieked as they tried to put out the flames but Marco's anger would not be so easily put out.

Not until his little brother was back on their ship, safe and sound (and preferably in the infirmary).

After that attack what was left of the bounty hunters surrendered, acknowledging the fact that they had been defeated and the Whitebeards quickly sailed away, intent on returning the slave children to their island and treating their youngest brother.

**XXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXX**

They should have known Luffy wouldn't take being forced to the infirmary all that well. The kid hated being still for any length of time and after two days of being locked in a cell and starved he just wanted to be able to run around on deck and feel the swift sea air on his face again.

"You need to stay in bed, yoi." Marco whispered calmly as he gently pushed Luffy back into the pillows. He didn't want to wake the two over-protective brothers that had exhausted themselves looking after Luffy and were now sleeping peacefully in the chairs beside Luffy's bed, leaning their heads against his covers.

"Think about how Ace and Sabo would feel if they woke up to find you missing. We don't want a repeat of what happened the last time you decided to take a walk without telling them, yoi."

Luffy scratched the bandage on the back of his head, only to pout when Marco pulled his hand away from it.

"It itches." He complained, staring up at him with wide eyes. "And Ace only burned down half the forest when I did that!"

"It was still troublesome, yoi." Marco sighed, running gentle fingers through Luffy's recently washed hair and staring at the bandages that were wrapped tightly around most of his body. His sweet little brother had been starved and then beaten on top of that. His left arm had been badly infected and the nurses were now giving him antibiotics every three hours (something Luffy violently protested against everytime he had to take them. The only way they got him to stop was threatening him with an injection.) His right ankle was also sprained and badly swollen and had needed a support that they could pack ice into to calm the swelling.

"...don't be angry." Whispered a soft voice, breaking Marco out of his thought to see Luffy looking at him with guilty eyes. "Mama Marco should be happy, right?"

Getting over the shock of Luffy calling him by his name, Marco smiled softly at him and nodded his head reassuringly. The bastards had got what was coming to them and Luffy was back on board. There really wasn't any need to be angry anymore but he knew most of the crew were still frustrated that something like this had happened in the first place.

"I am Luffy, yoi. I'm happy we got you back."

Luffy smiled brightly at him, wrapping his rubbery arms tightly around his waist and pulling him down so he could hug him properly, rubbing his face into his chest as he giggled softly.

"I'm happy to be back too."

**A/N: Aaaaand that's the end of that chapter. Sorry if the crappy ending is crappy, I've just gone back to college and it's draining my creativity. Hope you 'enjoyed' this chapter despite its short length; I have trouble hurting my bbys. R&R~**

**MaskedPyro****- Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it. Unfortunately you're going to have to wait for that reunion like everybody else! Thank you though, I love my Mama Pineapple too~ Oh you meant the nickname?...oops...Moving quickly on, yeah the Powerpuff Girls, how about that? Complete coincidence but whatever; I'm glad you found the notion entertaining!**

**In this chapter he calls him 'Mama Marco' to his face but I already have a scene planned for where Luffy needs to use his actual name with no nicknames attached (here's a spoilers: Luffy's pissed when it happens.)**

**There is a chapter that will call upon Luffy's protectiveness so don't you worry about that. You just need to wait for it~**

**I swear you reviewers gain more mind reading powers with every review *suspicious glance* but I'm glad you enjoy it ^-^**

**silverwolf1249****- Oh, that's not for a bonus chapter~ That's a birthday surprise for a certain blonde brother~ And I guess I can add the birthday call in a bonus chapter.**

**RainbowGuardian13****- He'll never tell the whole crew but I might have it in one of the bonus chapters him telling Thatch or Marco maybe...**

**Catflower Queen****- They certainly are not! My poor bbys aren't having a very good time of it at the moment... At least there's that! I'm glad you enjoyed those. I've been making** **subtle hints at the manga/anime for several chapters now but you're the first to comment on them XP **

**He needs the Whitebeards to cure him of it forever but he's much better at accepting the idea that the day is special than Ace is XD The problem Luffy has is that his birthday would be celebrated anyway because it's a national holiday but he's started moving away from that idea because Ace's birthday is also on a national holiday but Luffy celebrates it because it's Ace's birthday not because of the new year and he's starting to realize it's the same for his birthday if that makes sense? **

**Yeah they are suspiscious and only Thatch, Izo, and Marco know some of the history Shanks has with the brothers but none of them know the whole truth about their relationship. Shanks still doesn't know that Luffy is on the Moby Dick but he does know that Ace and Sabo have his den den mushi number so he now knows who prank called him that time XD **

**Thank you very much! Happy New Year~**

**P.S: Thank you very much for that idea! Also this chapter may not have all three of them suffering in some way but it should tide you over until the actual bonus chapter version. **

**Weird-Sunny-Chan****- Aww thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed them so much~ **

**justaCupcake****- Well it's not as long as before XP**

**Happy New Year!**

**Everybody loves Ace, it's impossible not to. It's like having a Luffy that doesn't smile or Zoro that doesn't use swords.**

**I hate making my bby cry but years of seeing someone he loves view themselves as a monster is enough to make anyone crack. And it is completely the world's fault, yip! They can go die now for hurting our bbys!**

**Unfortunately Shanks didn't make it in time. He missed the Moby Dick by about an hour so he was unable to wish him a happy birthday in person. He called them later on though~ When Shanks visits for real, there will be no hiding it from anyone! **

**Meh, you're just fluent in Luffy-logic XD**

**Sessha Lebeau****- Happy New Year! Please don't cry!**

**MoustacheKiller****- Happy New Year! I'm glad you found it so wonderful~ SaboIzo is my favourite bromance at the moment, can you tell? **

**thewibblywobblywolf****- I hope you don't mind this kind of angst either? Shanks didn't manage to visit, sorry! This is about a week after Ace's birthday I think, I don't have the timeline in front of me at the moment XP. Also you will see Sabo's eighteenth for definite and you will also see Luffy's seventeenth for definite but whether I'm going to put his fifteenth and his sixteenth in...not too sure. I could probably find a chapter to slip those in, unless I could write them in a bonus chapter...**

**JadeOccelot****- Don't worry he will be mostly cured of that way of thinking by then but I can't reveal too much because spoilers~ **

**MissJenca****- Yeah, sorry about that XD Also I tend to think way too much into this kind of thing, especially with how devil fruits work. Like if Ace's body is made of fire then how does his body still contain the water it needs to function: 70% of the body is water after all so how does it all not evaporate? Logia devil fruits fascinate me! **

**Biology rant aside, I'm glad you like Luffy's protective side showing. It's always amazing when it appears in the manga/anime and I adore it so much! I'm also glad people are picking up on Luffy's sage/mature moments because when it comes to his nakama Luffy is incredibly observant and I don't think people do him any credit when they say he's stupid. He's not! He just understands things differently!**

**Because the brain wants what the world cannot have -3-**

**TheCaptainOfShips****- Of course Shanks is coming back! The story would be the same without him! Thanks so much for loving it~**

**DMCP****- Should I feel sorry about the feels?...Nah, too tired, I'll feel sorry later. Okay, I suppose it was a little mean...just a little...I'M SORRY!**

**Oh my friend will kill me if I abandon this especially seeing as she's really looking forward to the sequel -_-II I haven't even finished this one yet! Thank you very much. I now they're not the best but I want to continue getting better. I'm a lot more comfortable drawing chibis but I couldn't really do makeover Sabo as a Chibi...or maybe I could...hmm something to think about. Sabo was fun to draw and I now hate drawing flowers! I can't do them! Maybe I'll try and redraw some of the scenes when I get better at it. **

**Seriously what is with you guys and being mind readers lately? You haven't found a way to take sneak peeks at upcoming chapters without me knowing about it have you? Is it some form of Divination?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!**

**They're trying to keep Luffy from Shanks because of the promise they made (and Mama Pineapple doesn't want that damn Red Hair to corrupt his baby brother any more than he already has XD) And Luffy is a pirate! He's a Whitebeard Pirate in everyone's eyes so they want to keep him from meeting Shanks so he won't break their promise (it's mainly because they don't want to accept the reality that Luffy will leave one day and become his own Pirate.) And Shanks hasn't actually stepped foot on the Moby Dick yet. When he does he will no doubt sense Luffy but he hasn't been close enough to do that yet. **

**Well done you got it right! Now you can have a private little laugh with all the people that read the reviews and responses whenever you see a reference to it~ **

**mks 12 98****- Damn I just answered this. Ah well what can you do? They're trying to keep Luffy and Shanks separate because they promised the next time they met Luffy would be a great pirate. Luffy may be a Whitebeard Pirate now but he is under no illusions that he's the strongest or even that great at the moment; he doesn't even have a bounty at this point! It's not about Shanks hurting Luffy, it's all about the promise they made each other and the Whitebeard wanting to protect that promise because of how much it means to Luffy. Shanks hasn't ever been close enough to the Moby Dick to locate Luffy using Haki and even if he was he has no suspicions about Luffy being on board so why would he even activate his Haki around them?**

**SisterAssassins****- They're all far too pretty in dresses~ And they will all be crossdressing at some point in this story (Sabo more often than his brothers) because I simply can't resist it! Oh gosh no! Don't cry! Be strong and ride the waves of marshmallow with your head held high! **

**I'm happy that you can see their personalities, sometimes I worry that I lose them sometimes and that's the worst things for me. It's one of the reasons why I'm most likely going to end up re-writing it at some point. And it's really not that big of a deal, my other stories haven't been updated in like, 2 years or something stupid like that. I've even surprised myself with keeping to this schedule for so long ^-^|| Don't feel bad about it, everyone goes through writers block or their muse taking a holiday. I'm keeping myself going because I've got a physical muse whispering blot bunnies in my ear. Maybe if you had a friend who was really into the fandom you write for you could bounce ideas off each other and record the ideas you come up with to write in a story and always go back to them when you're stuck?**


End file.
